As the agriculture commissioner of one of the biggest farming and ranching states in the country, I am excited that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has joined the Trump campaign and is adding his important voice. I have long advocated for policies that help make Americans healthier. With President Trump in the White House, I know that we can accomplish these critical goals.
When I was a kid, President John F. Kennedy inspired me with his call to make physical fitness and healthy habits a national priority. I wasn’t the only one. The nation responded.Â
The Presidential Fitness Challenge was a big deal, and we should bring it back. We have had no national leadership on this fundamental aspect of human well-being until now, as President Kennedy’s nephew takes up his mantle.
Former President Trump shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during a rally in Glendale, Arizona, Aug. 23, 2024. (Reuters/Go Nakamura)
But make no mistake, we are in a chronic disease crisis and our kids are suffering. Today, more than two in five adults are obese, as well as more than one in five kids. This is not normal. It didn’t “just happen.” It is the result of decades of bad public policy that, among other things, corrupted our food.
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Somewhere along the line, the cost and volume of food became more important than the quality. Cheap fillers, fake sweeteners and every variety of ultra-processed foods became the norm. Sadly, America’s declining health reflects this trend.Â
Common sense tells us that only whole, natural food can feed, repair and nurture our bodies at the cellular level. Ultra processed and artificial foods can only inhibit and destroy.Â
Humans evolved eating whole, natural foods for millions of years. You can’t simply undo that deep biology in a couple of generations without seeing the harm it has caused.
But we can turn this around. One easy and necessary policy change is to update Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, so they pay for whole, healthy food and not ultra processed junk.
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Many of my colleagues in state food leadership roles are ready – and eager – to do far more.
In Texas, I am responsible for over 5 million school meals every single day. With our Farm Fresh program, our kids get real, healthy and locally-sourced foods prepared fresh with no dyes, additives, preservatives or added salt. They are never flash frozen and often organic. For many students, it is the only nutritious meal they get each day.Â
Expanding this program nationwide would not only result in healthier kids learning better nutritional habits, but it will also give our farmers and ranchers new local markets where transport costs are low, and the benefits are shared by all.
Along those lines, we also have the opportunity to initiate a surplus crop program to incentivize farmers to donate their excess crops to local food banks.
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With regenerative farming practices like no till planting and intensive grazing, our farmers are innovating to deliver more food to market with fewer chemicals and less disruption to ecosystems. This is how we make our soil healthy again.Â
In Texas, we have a program to allow farms, ranches and other pesticide/herbicide users to contact the Department of Agriculture and have expired and unused chemicals properly and safely destroyed, rather than ending up in our soil and groundwater.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are a threat to public health with consequences that often don’t manifest for many years. Everything we can do to get PFAS out of our environment, the healthier we will be.
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The role of Big Food, much like Big Pharma, is to prioritize their profits over our health. I enthusiastically support RKF Jr’s campaign to hold these industries accountable by reforming our food and medicine approval and patenting systems. In this, he is uniquely qualified: the $1.7 trillion pharmaceutical industry has unfairly maligned him for decades, and he’s still standing strong.
Our great American farmers know this Big Food fight, and they are under incredible pressure. Family farms are closing or selling to commercial factory farms at an alarming rate. Farmers did better under President Trump than at any other time, thanks to his efforts to open new markets, use effective tariffs to force fair competition, and lower costs to make farming profitable again.
Heart disease, cancer, diabetes and most of the leading causes of death relate to what we put in our bodies, knowingly or not. Our nation knows from our COVID experience that people suffering from these chronic conditions are far more vulnerable to disease.
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Many factors have conspired to leave Americans overweight, stressed, unhappy and unwell. When we eat healthy, exercise, sleep consistently and sustain our routines, we feel better.Â
Just like the cell is the fundamental building block of our bodies, our bodies are the fundamental building blocks of our country, our society and our culture. I know President Trump understands this.
Food production is not only a matter of national security and well-being – and a sizable chunk of all economic activity – it is our birthright. Today, with the leadership of President Trump and RFK Jr., America stands at the edge of a new dawn in sustainable, profitable and healthy farming that preserves our environment and supports this essential American industry.
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Making America healthy again isn’t just about how we look on the beach, it’s about healing our culture and our nation from the ground up, and we must start with our children.Â
President Trump will lead us into this brighter, healthier future – and he chose the right man for the job in Robert Kennedy.
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Publish date : 2024-09-26 00:00:00
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