RFK Jr. Revives Blame-First Health Messaging, Urging Governor to Lose 30 Pounds
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
RFK Jr. Revives Blame-First Health Messaging, Urging Governor to Lose 30 Pounds
6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed a more stigmatizing public-health message, arguing that people who "eat doughnuts all day" should not expect society to care for them when they get sick.
In West Virginia last March, he mocked the governor's weight and suggested monthly public weigh-ins until he lost 30 pounds, while dismissing GLP-1 obesity drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Those remarks mark a break from decades of public-health efforts to treat obesity as a chronic disease and reduce shame around weight, addiction and other health conditions.
Public-health officials and historians say the shift reflects a backlash against destigmatization, with personal-responsibility rhetoric displacing structural explanations such as food deserts.
Is the new push for 'personal responsibility' a necessary correction or a dangerous reversal of public health progress?
When leaders challenge science on obesity and vaccines, how can the public regain trust in medicine?
As insurance coverage for weight-loss drugs plummets, what is the true cost to the American workforce and economy?
Banning Soda from SNAP: West Virginia’s Policy Shift, MAHA Campaign, and the Fight Over Food Assistance
Overview
West Virginia's ban on using SNAP benefits for soda and other sugary drinks began on January 1, 2026, as part of the broader 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. To make this change, West Virginia and other states had to get special waivers from the USDA, which approved 22 such waivers allowing states to restrict SNAP purchases of items like soda and candy. The goal is to fight chronic disease by making sure taxpayer money supports healthier foods, leading SNAP recipients to adjust their shopping and eating habits.