Early last month, US Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) questioned the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. at a Finance Committee hearing. The line of questioning included the request to leave farming regulations up to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), not to HHS. 

When asked about the exchange, Grassley said, “Not as much satisfaction as I’d like. I’m going to keep pushing him to keep to Health and Human Services, and leave agriculture to the secretary of agriculture, and the regulation of chemicals to the EPA. He shouldn’t be worrying farmers about that issue. That is not at all in his realm, and I guess my job is to keep raising the issue with him.”  

Grassley stated that back in January, during the confirmation hearing, Kennedy agreed to leave farming regulations to the Department of Agriculture and the EPA. Kennedy noted HHS is working with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the farming community to “make sure the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) agenda is consistent with their agenda.”  Kennedy released the MAHA report in May, it calls for the federal government to research total chemical exposure and urges USDA and EPA to research precision technology to decrease pesticide use.