RFK's “MAHA” Movement Is Killing Americans

A concise overview of how RFK is decimating our public health and safety, and what you need to know to protect the health of yourself and your loved ones

This piece is co-written with two nationally recognized public health experts, Pari & Eve, co-creators of

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We used to think the worst-case scenario was someone ignoring public health. But now, thanks to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., (RFK), we’re living a cruel reality where the person in charge of protecting our health is actively destroying it.

Let’s be clear: RFK isn’t running a public health agency. He’s running a near $2 trillion disinformation machine. Since stepping into the top job at HHS, RFK has gutted essential services, fired infectious disease experts, canceled critical vaccine meetings, and surrounded himself with a herd of unqualified “wellness” personalities rather than actual scientists. And here’s what he’s gotten us: Deadly outbreaks, shuttered clinics, and zero faith in our country’s health infrastructure. Here’s what you need to know about the state of our national public health policy, and how best to protect yourself going forward. Let’s Address This.

March for science protest sign. [Credit: Credit: Another Believer/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0]

RFK’s War on Public Health Infrastructure

HHS is supposed to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans. Keyword: all. But RFK’s priority seems to only serve the holistic medicine crowd that’s heavy on conspiracy and light on facts. Under his leadership so far:

• More than 10,000 federal health employees have been laid off, initiating a brain drain while the COVID pandemic is still decimating lives.

• Lifetime FDA food inspection experts have been replaced with less experienced contractors.

• NIH research grants on vaccine hesitancy have been cancelled.

• Offices focused on women’s health, the health of minority communities, and HIV/AIDS have been significantly defunded.

• Five regional HHS offices—including those in major public health hubs like San Francisco and New York? Closed.

• The CDC lost key staff, including the experts tracking U.S. outbreaks of bird flu, rubella, and foodborne illness.

• We are currently suffering the worst measles outbreak in modern American history.

And don’t be fooled by bureaucratic buzzwords. When RFK says he’s “streamlining” operations and “eliminating redundancies,” he means slashing services people depend on to survive.

The Entirely Preventable Measles Outbreak

In case you're wondering what happens when your top health official believes vaccines cause autism (they don’t), just look at the current measles outbreak. This devastating and wholly preventable outbreak has already claimed three lives, including two children. That’s right, the “pro life” crowd has now killed two children by acting on the anti-science anti-vaxx advice of an HHS Secretary who is himself vaccinated, and whose children are all vaccinated. RFK has spent decades platforming one of the most dangerous, debunked medical conspiracies of our time. And perhaps most tragic, this is not the first time his conspiracy theory propagation has taken lives. In 2019, RFK advanced his anti-vaxx conspiracy to the country of Samoa during a (you guessed it) measles outbreak. As Samoan’s panicked and stopped using the measles (MMR) vaccine, the outbreak killed 83 people (mostly babies).

Let’s be blunt: every measles death is preventable. RFK’s vaccine disinformation is killing children.

RFK is Undermining Vaccine Access

And it’s not just the MMR vaccine. While RFK says he’s not anti-vaxx and won’t prevent people from getting wanted vaccines, he has actually been responsible for:

• FDA cancelling its annual flu vaccine planning meeting;

• CDC postponing its advisory committee on new vaccines;

• NIH slashing 40+ grants for vaccine hesitancy research; and

• Putting a $600M contract for bird flu vaccine development “under review.”

So now, in the middle of rising bird flu cases that have already infected humans, we find ourselves entirely unprepared.

He’s Coming For Our Tap Water

Fluoride is a natural mineral. It prevents tooth decay. Yet, RFK also wants our teeth to rot as he crusades against fluoride in drinking water. The addition of fluoride to our water was a landmark public health intervention that’s been safely preventing cavities for decades. It was named one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century. To date, only 15% of Americans (wrongly) think it is harmful—and most of them probably heard that on an RFK Fox news interview. Removing fluoride from drinking water will devastate dental health nationwide.

His Dangerous COVID Conspiracies

RFK has claimed—again, with zero evidence—that COVID-19 was engineered to spare “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.” Not only is this completely false, it’s racist pseudoscience that ignores what we do know: COVID disproportionately harmed marginalized groups due to systemic inequities in healthcare access. But RFK never lets facts get in the way of a viral soundbite.

The fact is RFK isn’t leading a health department, he’s dismantling it. He’s leading a dangerous movement that prioritizes wellness grift and anti-government paranoia over science, safety, and actual public health.

This isn’t just a policy difference. It’s a full-on public health crisis, and Americans—especially the most vulnerable—are paying the price.

What We Can Do

While the road is uphill, we have meaningful actions available to us to protect our health. Here is what we encourage your readers to do going forward:

1. Hold media accountable: Use social media or write to editors demanding fact-checks on RFK and more airtime for real medical experts, not disinformation peddlers.

2. Share trusted info: Post updates from credible sources like the CDC, WHO, or local health departments, and follow independent experts like

   Pari & Eve, MPH
   , and find Pari and Eve on social media.

3. Speak up against falsehoods: Challenge health misinformation when you see it—whether in family chats, online, or in your community.

4. Protect your circle: Stay current on vaccines and ask your doctor to check antibody levels during checkups. Help loved ones book appointments or get to clinics if needed. Speak to your dentist about how to ensure your dental health should fluoride be removed from drinking water.

5. Engage locally: Support school boards and public health departments in promoting vaccine access. Join public forums to raise awareness about local health concerns.

6. Support public health: Donate to, volunteer with, or uplift groups like the American Public Health Association, Partners In Health, or GAVI.

Conclusion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t just walk into a powerful role—he hijacked it to serve a fringe ideology that’s actively endangering lives. Under the guise of “freedom” and “choice,” he’s stripped our nation’s health infrastructure to the bone, empowered conspiracy theorists, and turned HHS into a factory of pseudoscience and public harm. The result? Preventable deaths, growing distrust in science, and a healthcare system crumbling under deliberate sabotage.

But we don’t have to accept this dystopia as normal. The truth still matters. Facts still matter. Lives still matter. And that’s also why voices like Pari and Eve collectively at

Pari & Eve, MPH

are more essential than ever. They are trained public health professionals who have dedicated their careers to keeping our communities safe. And over the coming weeks they will be providing deep dive analysis on the Federal Government’s changes to public health, and how you can best ensure your health and safety for your family and loved ones.

Follow them. Learn from them. And share their work. Support those on the front lines. Because we all benefit when actual experts—not conspiracy theorists—are guiding public health conversations.

Eve, Pari, and Qasim