President Donald Trump’s commission on health on May 22 said that the government should launch new clinical trials on nutrition, and improve the surveillance of vaccines and other drugs given to children.
A report from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission links the epidemic of childhood chronic disease to factors like poor diet, too many pesticides, overmedication, and lack of physical exercise.
“America will begin reversing the childhood chronic disease crisis during this administration by getting to the truth of why we are getting sick, and spurring pro-growth policies and innovations to reverse these trends,” the report says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that more than four out of 10 children in the United States have at least one chronic health condition, such as asthma.
About 75 percent of American youth are not eligible for military service, primarily due to obesity and poor fitness, according to the Department of Defense.
The report also says the best way to reverse the childhood chronic disease crisis “is to put whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers at the center of healthcare.”
Trump established the MAHA commission in February. Its main goal is to address the childhood chronic disease crisis.
His executive order directed the commission to submit a report to the president within 100 days and then, within 180 days, to present a strategy addressing chronic diseases in children, including obesity and diabetes.
“Our kids are the sickest kids in the world,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters. Kennedy is chair of the MAHA commission, and his team has already begun researching the report’s findings.
The commission issued 10 recommendations, including long-term trials comparing whole-food and low-ultra-processed food diets to assess their effects on obesity, and an overhaul of vaccine and pediatric drug safety monitoring.
The report also recommends taking a second look at ingredients previously deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
—Zachary Stieber; Stacy Robinson
WHAT’S IN THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’?
House Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—totaling more than 1,000 pages—to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda in an early morning session on May 22.
Though it makes spending cuts across several sectors of the federal government, the Congressional Budget Office projects the bill would add $3.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years; it also asks for a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.
Following its approval by the House in a 215–214 party-line vote, the bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Here’s what’s inside the megabill.
Tax Cuts
The cuts in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would be permanently extended, heading off a scheduled expiration at the end of the year.
Tax rates for the lowest income bracket would remain at 10 percent, gradually increasing to a 37 percent rate on top marginal earners.
Overtime wages and tips will be tax-free.
It would also make the $2,000 child tax credit permanent and temporarily raise the limit to $2,500 per child through 2028.
SALT Deduction and Endowments
The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction has been a thorny issue for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican lawmakers from blue states.
Following a contentious debate, the SALT deduction was raised to $40,000 for people making less than $500,000 per year, starting in 2025.
The legislation would also increase taxes on the large, mostly tax-free endowments held by many major educational institutions across the United States.
Schools with more than $2 million in their endowment per student would be subject to a vastly increased 21 percent tax rate, raised from 1.4 percent under current law.
Medicaid
The bill would also make significant—and controversial—changes to the $914 billion Medicaid program.
Starting on Dec. 31, 2026, able-bodied adults without dependents would have to spend 80 or more hours per month at work, receiving education, or in volunteer service to maintain eligibility for Medicaid.
Additionally, Medicaid recipients who make more than 100 percent of the federal poverty level would be required to make co-payments for certain expenses. States would determine co-pay amounts, up to $35.
States that allow illegal immigrants to enroll in Medicaid would be penalized, and receive 10 percent less in reimbursements for enrollees who joined under the Affordable Care Act, dropping from 90 percent to 80 percent.
States to Bear More of SNAP
Similarly, the bill seeks to cut costs by increasing the share states pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.
Currently, the federal government pays 100 percent of SNAP benefits and 50 percent of the program’s administrative costs.
Under the legislation, the federal share would be cut to 95 percent, with states picking up the remainder. It would also boost states’ share of administrative costs to 75 percent.
The bill would also bar illegal immigrants from receiving the benefit.
Defense Boosted
The bill includes about $150 billion in new military-related spending to boost shipbuilding, replenish depleted weapons stocks, and modernize U.S. nuclear forces.
That includes $25 billion for Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense project, which he has estimated would cost $175 billion and take three years to complete.
Border Security and Immigration
The legislation dedicates $4 billion to hire 3,000 new Border Patrol agents and 5,000 new customs officers, and provides funding for 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and investigators.
Plus, it contains $50 billion in funding to renew construction of the southern border wall.
—Joseph Lord, Lawrence Wilson, Andrew Moran, Ryan Morgan, Stacy Robinson
BOOKMARKS
Elias Rodriguez has been charged with Wednesday’s murder of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. “Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offense,” Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked the certification of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program on Thursday, effectively barring international students. “This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X.
North Carolina is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which tore through the state in September 2024. The Epoch Times’ Allan Stein spoke to residents trying to rebuild in his latest report.
A federal district judge blocked Donald Trump’s administration from drastically reducing the size of the Department of Education. “The record abundantly reveals that defendant’s true intention is to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute,” U.S. District Judge Myong Joun said in his ruling.
Julius Malema, the head of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was featured in a video at the White House, chanting “kill the farmer.” Read more about the man and what he stands for in Darren Taylor’s latest report.
—Stacy Robinson
