OPINION: OUR HEALTH, OUR RESPONSIBILITY: MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN (11/13/2024)

An Editorial by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

November 13, 2024

As the Agriculture Commissioner of one of the country's largest farming and ranching states, I am excited that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined President Trump, lending his powerful voice to the MAGA movement. For years, I advocated for policies that put American health first, and with President Trump back in the White House, I am confident that we can make real progress on this front.

Today, more than two in five adults and over one in five children in America are obese. This didn’t “just happen”—it is the outcome of misguided public policy and corporate influence. When I was a kid, President John F. Kennedy called for the nation to prioritize physical fitness and healthy habits. The Presidential Fitness Challenge was a big deal back then and worked. With RFK Jr. taking up his uncle’s mantle, President Trump's new administration can revive that vision for the next generation.

Somewhere along the way, cheap food with fake sweeteners and ultra-processed fillers became the norm. Sadly, this trend has reflected the impact on our health. We need common-sense policy updates, like reforming SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits so they support fresh, whole foods rather than junk. Only whole, natural foods can fuel our bodies at a cellular level. Ultra-processed and artificial foods can only inhibit and destroy. Humans evolved to eat whole, natural foods for millions of years. You can’t simply undo that deep biology in a couple of generations without seeing the harm it has caused.

In Texas, I am responsible for over five million school meals served every single day. Through my Farm Fresh program, our kids get healthy and locally sourced foods without dyes, additives, preservatives, or added salt. These foods are never flash-frozen and are often organic.

For many students, it is the only nutritious meal they get each day. Expanding programs like this nationwide would result in healthier kids learning better nutritional habits and open new markets for American farmers and ranchers. We have a chance to make local food available to every community while keeping transport costs low and benefits local. Additionally, we can initiate a surplus crop program to incentivize farmers to donate their excess produce to local food banks, making sure no food goes to waste. 

Speaking of our great American farmers, they are under incredible pressure, threatening their way of life. Giant corporate operations are squeezing out family farms at an alarming rate. Food production is critical to our national security and well-being and is a sizable chunk of all economic activity; it is our birthright. During his first term, Donald Trump supported farmers and ranchers like no president before him. He opened new markets, effectively used tariffs to force fair competition, and lowered costs to make farming profitable again.

After a landslide victory, the future of American farming under a second Trump administration is more than bright. Today, with the leadership of President Trump and RFK Jr., America stands at the edge of a new dawn in sustainable, profitable, and healthy farming, which preserves our environment and supports this essential American industry. Regenerative farming practices like no-till planting and intensive grazing allow our farmers and ranchers to produce more food with fewer chemicals and less disruption to ecosystems. This is how we make our soil healthy again.

In Texas, we have programs through the Texas Department of Agriculture to help farmers, ranchers, and other pesticide and herbicide users safely dispose of expired and unwanted herbicides and pesticides. This program has successfully helped keep dangerous chemicals out of our soil and water. PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are a threat to public health with consequences that often don’t manifest for years or decades. Everything we can do to eliminate PFAS from our environment will make us healthier.

When it comes to public health, no free person in a free society should ever be forced to be injected with poorly tested, rushed, and potentially dangerous vaccines. President Trump and RFK Jr. understand the power of and responsibility for individual choice, particularly regarding our health. Big pharma, like big food, sacrifices our health for its profits. I enthusiastically support RFK Jr.'s campaign to hold these industries accountable by reforming our food and medicine approval and patenting systems. 

Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and so many other health issues are tied to what we put in our bodies. Even COVID outcomes were strongly correlated to pre-existing conditions such as these. For too long, Americans have been left overweight, stressed, and unwell. The solution is simple. When we eat healthy, exercise, sleep consistently, and sustain our routines—we feel better. Just as the cell is the foundation of our bodies, our collective health is the foundation of our society and culture. President Trump instinctively understands this.

Making America healthy isn’t just about how we look on the beach; it’s about building a more robust and healthier nation from the ground up. I am proud to have Donald J. Trump as our 47th President and glad he will have RFK, Jr. at his side. I have no doubt they will lead us toward a brighter, healthier future for every American.

An eighth-generation Texas farmer and rancher, Sid Miller is the 12th Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). A twenty-six-time world champion rodeo cowboy, he has devoted his life to promoting Texas agriculture, rural communities, and the western heritage of Texas. Commissioner Miller will be available for television, zoom, and phone interviews.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Maddison Jaureguito
Director of Communications
Texas Department of Agriculture
(512) 475-1669 (Office)

Maddison.Jaureguito@TexasAgriculture.gov

More TDA press releases are available at TexasAgriculture.gov/Newsroom.