Supporters applaud Kennedy’s plans to curb Big Ag and clean up the food supply, while critics say his policies are ‘dangerous’ to American agriculture.
On the eve of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first confirmation hearing, a group of farmers sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging the chamber to support the former presidential candidate’s bid to become secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
A Vermont farmer and food rights activist, John Klar, drafted the letter which was signed by more than 130 fellow farmers.
“So much rancor has been fomented about Kennedy, yet healthier local food should bring all of us together,” Klar wrote.
“Americans are being sickened by factory foods that kill far more people every year from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer than die from flu or other viruses.
“Life expectancies are dropping, obesity rates skyrocket—and RFK Jr. draws fire for questioning glyphosate, or advocating for tallow?” he added.
Kennedy is appearing at a confirmation hearing on Jan. 29 before the Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees HHS.
He will also testify in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Jan. 30.
The former Democrat and independent presidential candidate will face questions from both panels, but only the Senate Finance Committee will vote on whether to advance him to a full Senate floor vote.
Kennedy must get a simple majority to gain confirmation. Republicans hold a 53–47 majority in the chamber.
In the letter, Klar wrote: “President Trump has made it clear, he wants RFK Jr. at the helm of HHS to Make America Healthy Again by tackling the chronic disease epidemic.”
“Six in 10 Americans have at least one chronic disease, and four in 10 have two or more chronic diseases. Chronic disease costs the United States approximately $4.8 trillion each year when you consider both direct medical costs and lost productivity,” Klar wrote.
“Mr. Kennedy’s plan to reverse the chronic disease epidemic will reduce this financial burden on our country.”
An environmental lawyer and founder of Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat and then as an independent before leaving the race in August 2024 and backing Trump.
Fighting chronic disease, improving children’s health, and addressing corporate influence on government agencies were vital parts of Kennedy’s campaign platform.
If confirmed, he would head a department that manages 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Kennedy has promised significant changes throughout the department.
Nominee for secretary of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins is expected to work with Kennedy on several issues if both are confirmed by the Senate.
The USDA and the HHS have a late 2025 deadline to complete the 2025–2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Some farmers have expressed concern over Kennedy’s criticism of high-fructose corn syrup.
In a clip posted on Kennedy’s YouTube channel, he listed what he believes are major causes of the chronic disease epidemic.
“It’s glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in Roundup. It’s neonicotinoid pesticides. It’s atrazine. It’s PFOAs, the forever chemicals [that are in many goods]. It’s high-fructose corn syrup,” he says.
Last November, farmer Amanda Zaluckyj wrote a column in the Ag Daily trade journal calling Kennedy “an absolute danger” to American farmers.
“He has gone as far as saying he would ‘weaponize’ regulatory agencies to eliminate the use of pesticides,” Zaluckyj said.
Dana O’Brien, a biotech analyst, wrote in the online trade journal AgriPulse that Trump’s embrace of Kennedy is “a threat to American agriculture” and “represents a wholesale shift in politics and farm policy.”
For years, Kennedy has chastised Big Ag trade groups and industrial food corporations, blaming them for creating the chronic disease epidemic, leading to a rapid rise in obesity, and harming the vitality of family farms.
The letter written by Klar and signed by the group of farmers praised Kennedy’s plans.
“Kennedy will reform America’s food system by taking strong action against ultra-processed foods and harmful food additives.
“Food safety, nutrition, and public health will be at the forefront of his efforts to ensure foods are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled,” the letter explained.
Klar believes that Kennedy’s policies “will grow the economy and restore rural farms and their communities.”