Epa's Health Initiative Remains Unfulfilled, Activists Disappointed

WHO:

PBS - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

PBS - Lee Zeldin is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator.

PBS - Activist Kelly Ryerson is known for her social media account "Glyphosate Girl."

PBS - Alexandra Muñoz is a molecular toxicologist collaborating with MAHA activists.

PBS - Sarah Starman is a senior food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth.

PBS - Jeremy Symons is a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Network.

PBS - Zen Honeycutt is a MAHA activist and founding executive director of Moms Across America.

PBS - Nancy Beck is a top official in EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

PBS - Lynn Dekleva is a deputy to Nancy Beck at the EPA.

WHAT:

PBS - The EPA has not released the MAHA agenda, which was promised eight months prior.

PBS - Zeldin pledged to release a formal agenda of MAHA priorities, including protections against harmful chemicals.

PBS - Activists expressed disappointment over the lack of specific steps taken through the MAHA agenda.

PBS - The EPA has proposed to regulate phthalates but has not addressed their presence in consumer products.

PBS - The Supreme Court sided with Bayer regarding its legal liability for harm caused by Roundup weedkiller.

PBS - The EPA included microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a list of contaminants for potential regulation but later reversed this decision.

PBS - The EPA announced it was teaming up with Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect consumers from heavy metals and other contaminants in food.

PBS - The MAHA movement has driven the EPA's work since Trump's first day in office, including $945 million in grants to address PFAS in drinking water.

WHERE:

PBS - The actions and discussions are taking place within the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

PBS - The MAHA agenda was first mentioned eight months prior to the current reporting.

PBS - Zeldin pledged to release the MAHA agenda last December.

WHY:

PBS - Activists are frustrated due to the perceived prioritization of corporate profits over public health.

PBS - The MAHA movement aims to address America's chronic disease epidemic linked to environmental chemicals.

HOW:

PBS - Activists have engaged with agency officials about desired changes and have occasionally succeeded, such as working on an executive order for regenerative agriculture.

PBS - The EPA has consulted with agency ethics officials regarding potential conflicts of interest involving former industry lobbyists now in leading roles.

(UPDATED July 11, 2026 05:52 UTC)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading the Make America Healthy Again movement, which aims to tackle America's chronic disease epidemic linked to environmental chemicals. Activists, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and others, are expressing frustration over the lack of a promised agenda detailing specific steps to protect public health, particularly against harmful chemicals. Meanwhile, the EPA has announced a partnership with Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to safeguard consumers from heavy metals and other contaminants in food, although the agency has yet to address the presence of phthalates in consumer products.