The recent attention in health care has been focused on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s partnership with Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to gain food choice waivers from the states. 

Thus far, 12 states—Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia—have signed on to this push to remove candy and sugary sodas from SNAP benefits and the removal of toxic dyes and ultra-processed foods from its offerings. 

Six new states are joining the MAHA movement! Yesterday at the Great American Farmers Market, @secrollins and @seckennedy signed food choice state waivers for West Virginia , Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas to remove unhealthy foods from SNAP.… pic.twitter.com/Q8sAqaDBQP

— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) August 5, 2025

The Tuesday news that HHS Secretary Kennedy canceled 22 mRNA vaccine contracts — a nearly $500 million partnership with pharmaceutical corporations- has also been making a splash.

On March 29, Senior Editor Joe Cunningham explained the importance of the 340B Drug Pricing Program and reported on Big Pharma’s push to restrict and even eliminate this necessary tool for rural hospitals to manage their unique health care concerns.

Without the 340B program, smaller healthcare providers—many already operating on razor-thin budgets—wouldn’t be able to afford life-saving medications for their patients. And if those hospitals go under, families in the rural part of the country would be left with few, if any, local options. It’s not just about inconvenience. In emergency situations, travel delays can mean the difference between life and death.