The Trump administration is kicking off the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. era with a massive new health commission, according to a Thursday evening White House press release.
Just hours after the Senate confirmed Kennedy Jr. as the next HHS Secretary, the White House announced the Make America Healthy Again Commission.
The Commission is a sprawling new initiative which will, among other things, address America’s chronic disease epidemic and ending childhood chronic illness.
“American life expectancy significantly lags behind other developed countries, with pre‑COVID-19 United States life expectancy averaging 78.8 years and comparable countries averaging 82.6 years. This equates to 1.25 billion fewer life years for the United States population,” the press release read. The release also noted that six out of 10 Americans have at least one chronic disease and four out of 10 have at least two.
The announcement emphasized making a shift in the way Americans view their health. “This includes fresh thinking on nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety,” the release read.
The sprawling commission will be chaired by Kennedy Jr. as the HHS Secretary and co-chaired by the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Other members of the commission will include the Education Secretary, the Agriculture Secretary, the FDA Commissioner and at least 10 other cabinet members and senior officials.
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 13: U.S. President Donald Trump smiles as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers remarks after being sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Oval Office at the White House on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kennedy, who faced criticism for his past comments on vaccines, was confirmed by the Senate 52 to 48. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against him. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The initial mission of the commission, according to the readout, will be to study and combat childhood disease. Within 100 days, the commission will present to Trump a report on best practices for preventing childhood health issues.
The sweeping commission follows a turbulent Senate confirmation process for Kennedy Jr., who Trump awarded the HHS nomination to after Kennedy dropped his upstart independent presidential bid to back Trump. The language of the press release was rife with many of Kennedy’s key campaign catch phrases and platforms.
