We’ve heard it from Trump and RFK Jr. a million times: “Make America Healthy Again.”
First touted as a political movement focused on improving Americans’ health, it was easy for millions of Americans to buy into the idea. Why wouldn’t they? We all want to be healthier!
But as Trump’s second term progresses, one thing has become clear: the administration doesn’t care about our health. They care about pushing an agenda fueled by disinformation and the undermining of proven scientific evidence.
In the process, staying healthy has become harder than ever.
In recent months, there’s been a noticeable increase in food safety issues and foodborne illness outbreaks, with the number of cases linked to these outbreaks five times the annual average from 2021 to 2025, with approximately 7,400 cases reported so far this year.
This means that the U.S. is on track to have one of the worst outbreak years yet.
But this isn’t a fluke. The decisions made by the Trump administration have brought us to this moment.
The federal government has cut budgets for food inspection, lost or fired staff at the USDA, FDA, and CDC, disbanded multiple advisory committees meant to keep food safe, and reduced the number of microbes they track.
State and local health departments have also lost grant money that allows them to conduct traceback investigations.
… oh, you thought that was it? Nope, there is a lot more.
By the Numbers: Public Health Cuts
The CDC lost 25% of its staff.
The CDC used to have 11 scientists tracking food parasites; now it’s three.
FoodNet – a joint venture of the FDA, CDC, USDA, and 10 state health departments – used to track 8 microbes. Now it tracks only two, and Cyclospora is not one of them, though it used to be.
Foreign food-facility inspections by the FDA fell by nearly 13% in fiscal 2025, while imports have continued to rise.
Families shouldn’t have to worry when they visit the grocery store, questioning which foods are safe – that’s why Red Wine & Blue started Healthy Shouldn’t Be This Hard.
If you want to get the facts on women’s health, invitations to upcoming events, and easy ways to take action in your community, join us.
The desire to be healthy is something we all have in common, regardless of political affiliation. We welcome everyone who cares about these issues to join us in our fight to make it easier and more affordable to be healthy in America.
Along with food borne illnesses rapidly rising; so is the number of cases of COVID across the US. Is there even a vaccine ready and approved for 2026?