- 2 months ago
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FDA Administrator Martin Makary, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) and Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) held a press briefing about the Trump Administration's changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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NewsTranscript
00:00everybody in. All right. Well, first of all, welcome for many of you back to the USDA for
00:14another round. You'll see the stack of SNAP waivers sitting on my desk that I will soon sign
00:20the extraordinary people standing behind me that have made today possible. We are so grateful for
00:27all of the interest. I think we've had 29 different media outlets that you all represent that are here
00:33today to hear what we're doing next, to hear about these signings, to hear about the extraordinary
00:38leadership and work out in the states with innovation and everything that this has meant,
00:43specifically today with Governor Morrissey from West Virginia over my left shoulder and Governor
00:49Kim Reynolds from Iowa over my right shoulder. But there are many other governors out across the
00:55country that have just been such pioneers and such innovators. So you'll hear a little bit more
01:00about that today. We each have a couple of minutes of remarks just to give you a sense of how the press
01:05conference will go. Once the remarks are finished, we'll all move over to my desk where I will sign
01:11each of the six states' waivers that we are announcing today. We'll then come back to the podium to take
01:17your questions. Hopefully we can get to everybody's questions, but if we can't, forgive us. We do have
01:22a tight timeline we're going to stick to because if you haven't noticed, there is a farmer's market
01:27going on across the street. But Bobby and I, Secretary Kennedy and I, and honestly all of us
01:32will be moving across the street to begin programming over there on our Make America Healthy Again
01:39Farmers Market Day. So that's what the next hour or so will look like. But again, we're just so grateful
01:44you're all here. What a great day for our great American families and for the people of the six states
01:51that we are talking about and signing waivers for today. We are here at the start of the National
01:57Farmers Market Week. And as I mentioned, right outside on the National Mall is a terrific showcase
02:03of what American agriculture has to offer. The great American farmers market reminds us that
02:09agriculture is at the heart of the solution to the problems that we face in our health in America
02:15today. And that's why President Trump, with his leadership, alongside Secretary Kennedy and I are
02:21working so closely to make America healthy again, alongside again so many of our partners across the
02:28country. We also have the amazing Dr. Marty McCary here as well with the FDA. But first, it is important
02:34to mention that before that wonderful, wholesome food gets to our plates, our great farmers from seed to
02:40harvest work tirelessly for all of us. President Trump has already unleashed the American economy
02:47and boosted markets for our farmers and ranchers. As we know, the one big beautiful bill made the
02:52largest tax cut in American history permanent, slashed the crippling death tax. Specifically,
02:59two million small family farms are now shielded from the death tax thanks to that bill and increased
03:06reference prices for our farmers working on already such thin margins. Every day we are getting new and
03:12better trade deals, including removing barriers to trade, getting our beef, for example, into Australia
03:19for the first time in 20 plus years, removing non-tariff barriers in Mexico, the EU, and other places around
03:26the world, and cementing relationships with massive markets around the world. Thanks to President Trump,
03:32we have unprecedented trade wins with South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and
03:38Vietnam. Alongside that, our own team here at USTA, a little lesser known, has secured additional
03:45trade wins for agriculture in South Africa, in Egypt, in Ethiopia, in Pakistan, in Nigeria, and
03:53Namibia, and there are more just not named today. We are lowering energy costs that affect every American
03:58economy. We can hit the pump and play a huge role in overall consumer costs by unleashing American energy
04:03dominance and expanding access to mining and drilling, here part of the USDA plan. And of course, all of this is not
04:10possible if our farms are under threat. Farm security policy is at the center of our national security strategy. In the
04:18Trump Vance administration, foreign adversaries are no longer permitted to take advantage of our farmland farmers and programs paid for by
04:26American taxpayers. And so many of you covered that launch a couple of weeks ago, and we're really grateful for that.
04:32We are ensuring that government works better and more efficiently by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in our
04:38programs at USDA. And as again, many of you have covered our announcement last week of moving the heart of the
04:45leadership at USDA out into the country and out of Washington, D.C. This is all about right-sizing government to improve our
04:52programs for the people that we serve. However, and the reason we're here today, we are at a point where we must do something to
04:59correct the chronic health problems that all Americans face. Over 75% of Americans' youth between the ages of 17 and 24 are
05:09ineligible for military service because of obesity, poor physical fitness, or mental health challenges. Think about that, 75%. Over 350,000 of
05:21American children have been diagnosed with diabetes. As Maha moms, and I consider myself one of four teenagers, as Maha moms across the
05:28country know, behind these statistics are mothers and fathers and sons and daughters and neighbors and coworkers. President Trump and our
05:39cabinet are doing things a little differently than the typical Washington, D.C. Since my confirmation, our department has encouraged states to think
05:43differently and creatively about how to solve the many health issues facing Americans. One way is by not allowing taxpayer-funded
05:52benefits to be used to purchase unhealthy items like soda, candy, and other junk food. The number one purchase by SNAP recipients is sugary drinks. SNAP is a
06:05supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery
06:15budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being. That is the stated purpose of the SNAP program. The law states it and
06:24President Trump's USDA plans to deliver on it alongside our partners at HHS. So today, I'm proud to sign six more waivers for
06:34Florida, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado. This is in addition to the waivers we've already signed for Iowa, Indiana, and
06:47others across the country. I continue to encourage states to be laboratories of
06:51innovation. Think through how you can promote healthy families and healthy
06:55communities. And because of our historic partnership, USDA and HHS, and the
07:01visionary leadership of the governors here with us today and of the states represented
07:05by the signings, we are doing something about it. These SNAP waivers are just one piece of the
07:11Maha effort. We work so closely together to encourage voluntary commitments to remove
07:17artificial food dyes, among other things, from our food supply. And together we are
07:21crafting sensical dietary guidelines for Americans that prioritize whole, healthy, and
07:27nutritious foods. I am so proud to stand with Secretary Kennedy, Governor Morrissey, Governor
07:34Reynolds, FDA Commissioner Marty McCary, and so many others as we work to make
07:39America healthy again. Secretary Kennedy is the face of the Maha movement and a
07:45relentless warrior for health policy that puts the American people first. It's such a
07:51privilege to stand with my friend and my partner and the leader of it all, Secretary Kennedy.
07:58Thank you, Secretary. I have to say again and again publicly that Secretary of
08:07Ireland is the best USDA Secretary in history. And the reason for that is up until this point,
08:15and every USDA Secretary has focused on food quantity. This is the first USDA Secretary who is focused
08:25on food quality, on nutrient dense food, on food that is actually going to increase the health of the
08:35people at a time when we are in a chronic disease crisis. Her changes to the SNAP program are
08:43emblematic of that commitment. SNAP, you know, SNAP, we're spending $405 million a day on SNAP.
08:53About 10% is going to sugary drinks. And between, if you add candies to that, it's about 13 to 17%.
09:05And we all believe in free choice. We live in a democracy. People can make their own choice about what they're
09:11going to buy and what they're not going to buy. If you want to buy a sugary soda, you ought to be able to do that.
09:17The U.S. taxpayers should not pay for it. The U.S. taxpayers should not be paying to feed kids foods,
09:27the poorest kids in our country, with foods that are going to give them diabetes. And then my agency ends up,
09:35through Medicaid and Medicare, paying for those injuries. We're going to put an end to that,
09:41and we're doing it step by step, state by state. We are also, I'm also working with Secretary Rollins
09:49on the dietary guidelines, which should come out next month. The dietary, they're coming out, I think,
09:56at the end of September, three months ahead of schedule. And the dietary guidelines that we inherited
10:03from the Biden administration were 453 pages long. They were driven by the same commercial impulses
10:11that put fruit loops at the top of the food period. And they were incomprehensible. And we are going
10:17to release dietary guidelines that are four or five or six pages long, that are understandable,
10:25that are simple, and will allow people to make good choices about their food. They will drive changes in the
10:31school lunch program, and prison lunches, and military food. And they will begin to change America almost immediately.
10:39We're also working on the release of the Maha report. We're working, Brooke especially has been adamant about the issue
10:49that we need to keep farmers as partners in the Maha movement if we're going to have nutrient-dense food. And that is what we
11:00care about. We've had over 130 meetings with farmers to understand their concerns, to learn from them, and to understand how we
11:11can help them transition towards more and more nutrient-dense food. I also want to thank President Trump
11:20for the big, beautiful bill. If we're going to save the American farmers, we need to save rural America. Right now,
11:29Medicaid gives about 7% of its funds to rural hospitals, 7%. It's about $20 million a year, $20 million a year.
11:40We are now going to add, through the Rural Transformation Bill, we're going to add another $50 billion over 5 years. So, $10 billion a year,
11:50that's going to be distributed to the states, to rural areas, and that is going to add about a third of the money
11:59that they now receive from Medicaid. And it will transform them. And it will allow these institutions, which are so critical
12:06to the economies, to the culture, to the health of rural life, it will allow them to flourish. And the President
12:14understands the American farmer. He did more during his first term to save American farmers than any other President.
12:22And we are going to continue that tradition. So, thank you very much for your leadership, Secretary Hollis.
12:29Thank you, Secretary Kennedy. It's just such an honor to continue to partner with you.
12:35One of the key partners in the effort, within the first hour of being sworn in on February 13th, earlier this year,
12:43we sent a letter to every governor in America, Republican and Democrat, and said,
12:48The founder's vision of the Laboratories of Democracy have never been more important. And what I challenge you to do
12:54is think outside the box and how we can partner with you, but want you to lead the way in solving some of these crises,
13:01especially regarding things like food stamps and chronic health disease from the agriculture perspective.
13:06And the governor that perhaps stood up very first in all of that was our great governor from Iowa.
13:12So, I will always be grateful for her friendship and for her support. And I think this coming Saturday,
13:18I'm going to be even more grateful when I beat her at the Celebrity Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair,
13:25when hopefully a buckle is involved. But Governor Reynolds, what a great time to have you here.
13:30Well, a buckle is involved, and we can't wait to have you to the Iowa State Fair, but I take that challenge,
13:40and we'll see who comes out on top. But we can't wait to have you back in Iowa, so thank you very much for that.
13:45And thank you, Brooke, for that kind introduction. I appreciate it very much. I appreciate both you and Secretary Kennedy.
13:51Thank you for the opportunity to speak today, and really for enabling Iowa to help lead the nation in staff reform.
13:57You know, we have spent the last several years realigning our state government with common-sense goals and priorities.
14:04And we've taken the same approach with SNAP and nutrition in our state.
14:08While the USDA, as you heard, clearly states that the purpose of SNAP is to support the health and well-being of low-income families,
14:16the reality is often the opposite. As you heard, 20% of all SNAP dollars are spent on sweet drinks,
14:24desserts, salty snacks, and sugar with sweetened beverages, the second-highest purchase.
14:29And this truly isn't helping low-income families. In fact, it's hurting them.
14:34And Iowans are seeing the impact of that. 37% of our adults and 17% of our youth, ages 6 through 17,
14:43are suffering from obesity. And that's something that, as a governor of this great state, I can't accept.
14:49And it's why that we've really begun to strategically reform our efforts to help address food insecurity and nutrition.
14:58Iowa was one of 12 states that opted not to participate in the Biden administration's Sun Bucks program over the summer
15:06to help feed our school-age children. Instead, we submitted a waiver to address our unique needs in Iowa
15:14and to have a health and nutrition focus. And I was sorry to say that that waiver was denied.
15:20And when you contrast that to the Trump administration and Secretary Rollins' approach of innovative solutions,
15:27we, again, resubmitted that waiver to USDA. And I'm proud to say that in June, we launched Healthy Kids Iowa.
15:36So we leveraged, I'll tell you just a little bit about that real quick and then talk about our stamp labor as well.
15:41We're leveraging existing food banks to purchase and distribute monthly food boxes to our meal site partners.
15:48Over 264 pantry sites where they're in all 99 of Iowa counties. We utilize schools and churches and nonprofits
15:56to provide our eligible families to provide our eligible families with healthy and kid-friendly nutritious food.
16:02The monthly boxes contain $40 of nutritious food per child for those that qualify. And in the first month alone,
16:10we served over 35 children and the program will run from June to August.
16:14Food banks, they can, some of the food banks that weighed in and our partners in this effort said that they can actually buy up to six times more food than a person using that
16:25that sub-bus program at retail prices. And it really was that experience that positioned Iowa to be the first state in the country to submit a waiver
16:34to pilot a healthy SNAP initiative. So starting January 1, SNAP dollars in Iowa can only be used to purchase non-taxable food items,
16:44eliminating soft drinks, candy, and other taxable foods and beverages as eligible SNAP purchases.
16:51And by using Iowa's sales tax exemption, it was an approach that our retail partners have really praised as a simple and a practical way
17:02to ensure that SNAP purchases are healthier. More importantly, I think these changes really empower families to take charge of their health
17:12and to achieve SNAP's foundational goals of meeting their traditional needs.
17:17So once again, I just want to say thank you to Secretary Rollins and her team for making these initiatives possible.
17:23They've been incredible partners throughout the process. And Secretary Kennedy, we're looking at what we can do this next legislative session
17:29to adopt some of the Maha policies as well. So I really appreciate the flexibility and the innovative approach that they've encouraged and allowed us to take. So thank you.
17:42Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
17:46I can look forward to it. And Bobby said, wait, what are you doing Saturday?
17:50I said, it's a steer show. We're going to be showing 1,200 pound animals at the Iowa State Fair.
17:56So just to clarify, stay tuned.
17:59Next, Governor Patrick Morrissey of West Virginia, no greater warrior.
18:04Really, I think Secretary Kennedy, it was one of his first visits, was to visit you to talk about this in West Virginia.
18:10As the former Attorney General of West Virginia, watching you fight for the people of your state has been very inspiring.
18:16Congratulations today. You're one of the states that we're signing, and we're just so grateful for your leadership.
18:21Governor Morrissey. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.
18:25Well, thank you very much, Secretary Rollins. And it's wonderful to be here today.
18:31What a beautiful building to be at the Department of Agriculture. It's an incredible place.
18:36And I think everyone up here on the stage, Secretary Kennedy, Governor Reynolds,
18:41she's been a real leader among the governors for a long time, Commissioner McCurry.
18:46They're doing a lot of great work, and work that's long overdue.
18:50I know that the collective group here, their leadership and their commitment to making America healthy again,
18:57I think it's already making a huge difference in our country.
19:01And I'd also like to make sure we thank the person responsible for it all.
19:06President Trump has picked really good people within his cabinet and these agency heads,
19:11and he's given them the ability to enact fundamental change that really helped make America reach your potential.
19:19It's inspiring, and I'm glad to be a part of it.
19:23Now, there's no way around it when it comes to West Virginia.
19:27Unfortunately, we're ranked at or near the bottom of a lot of the tough public health metrics.
19:33We lead the country, we're near leading in the country in obesity, in diabetes,
19:39and a lot of the chronic conditions that have really been disabling our people,
19:44usually at the top of this for more people who are disabled in our state than virtually any other.
19:50Our kids, they're diagnosed with ADHD at rates that are well above the national average,
19:57and we have one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the United States.
20:02Now, that's the bad news, and I believe in telling the truth to the American people about where we are,
20:08because that's going to make the rise all the more better when West Virginia is able to reach your potential
20:14and to get healthy again.
20:16The good news today is that we all have the power to change it,
20:21and I think the people on stage here today, the wonderful staffs who are working at the federal level
20:27and the state level to make that happen,
20:29I think you're going to start to see some needle movement in all these categories.
20:34You see, I want all West Virginians to have happy, long, healthy, and purposeful lives,
20:42spending time with friends and family and doing things that matter.
20:47Earlier this year, alongside Secretary Kennedy in Martinsburg,
20:51I signed legislation making West Virginia the first state in the country to restrict the number of the artificial dyes in the schools.
21:00We need to clean up and get the crap out of the food, and in West Virginia, we're taking the lead.
21:06That law has gone into effect. It's already started right now, and beginning this year,
21:11kids in West Virginia will no longer be exposed to these harmful dyes and chemicals at the schools,
21:18and there will be more changes in the future.
21:21We're very proud of this achievement, and we're happy to work with other states and school districts across the country
21:28to see additional changes that help people get healthier.
21:32Now, during that visit in Martinsburg, we talked about a number of other pillars of health
21:38that my administration would focus on to benefit the health of West Virginians.
21:44Along with cleaning up the food, we're trying to promote fitness and making healthy food choices.
21:50I'm happy to report, Secretary Kennedy, that our Mountaineer Mile efforts, that's a statewide fitness challenge
21:57that we asked our citizens to be involved in.
22:00It's spreading all across West Virginia, and there's a Mountaineer Mile in every one of our state parks,
22:06and I can volunteer. I have followed through to do the Mountaineer Mile every single day since I met with you.
22:12I'm going to do a lot more of that.
22:14Making sure that we're healthy, exercising is a core pillar.
22:19But there's more that we need to do, and that's part of why we're here today.
22:25We know that the changes to the SNAP program, they're long overdue.
22:30And that's why I'm so happy to work with all of our federal partners to make sure that the tax dollars
22:36is going toward nutritious foods.
22:39I'm always fond of saying that the SNAP, the N for SNAP, it stands for nutrition.
22:45But unfortunately, over a long period of time, that wasn't always the case.
22:49So I'm happy now that in West Virginia, taxpayers are not going to be subsidizing soda and these sugary drinks.
22:58Things that have no nutritional value and are directly linked to obesity, diabetes, and a lot of other terrible health care outcomes.
23:06If a law says that a program is meant to help people get a more nutrition diet, then that's going to be the standard.
23:15That's what we're going to work on.
23:17So I'm happy to be here today and to celebrate the growth of the Maha Movement and all the amazing things that Secretary Wallace, Secretary Kennedy, and the entire Trump administration is doing.
23:32They're aligning words with actions, and we're not stopping here.
23:37In the future, we're not only going to be focusing on our food.
23:40I'm looking forward to working with Secretary Wallace on the work requirements.
23:45We have that for Medicaid and for SNAP, and I want to make sure that West Virginia is out in front on that.
23:51A state with one of the lowest, the lowest workforce participation rate in the nation.
23:56I want to get more people to work, and I'm really excited to partner to make that happen.
24:01This administration is making big things happen, and I'm eager to talk about it.
24:06So thank you for everyone, and God bless our great country and the wonderful state of West Virginia.
24:19And now it's an honor of one of the country's greatest doctors, researchers, scientists, and now the leader of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty McCary.
24:27Thank you so much. Thank you, Secretary Raul Einstein.
24:31It's so great to be here. This is a historic day in the United States.
24:36This begins the end of the government subsidization of our obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance epidemic.
24:45And it got pretty bad. Look at where we are today.
24:48Forty percent of our nation's kids now have a diagnosed chronic disease.
24:52Thirty-one percent have diabetes, prediabetes, or insulin resistance.
24:57We can't keep just talking about the price of insulin.
25:00We also have to talk about what we are feeding children.
25:05We need amazing treatments, and this FDA is committed to delivering cures and meaningful treatments.
25:13But we have to talk about nutrients and fiber, not just Ozepic and other medications to medicate our nation.
25:25We're medicating our nation's kids at scale.
25:27And so this is a historic day in the United States.
25:31And Secretary Kennedy, you've been talking about this, gosh, for a long time.
25:35You got me motivated, and it's just amazing to work in your leadership here.
25:40I hear people all the time from all different political persuasions say,
25:44you know, I'm not a Republican or Democrat or political, but I love the food stuff that they're doing.
25:52And Secretary Rawlings, you have been the perfect partner.
25:55And watching you and the Secretary work together has been magical.
26:00And it's just amazing. Here we are.
26:03For the first time ever, not just talking about how to fund our broken healthcare system,
26:08but how to fix our broken healthcare system by finally getting at the root issue,
26:14and that is the health of the population, starting with children.
26:18And so people say to me, I love some of this Maha stuff.
26:23And what else are you doing to make America healthy again?
26:28Well, as Governor Morsi just said, we're just getting started.
26:33We're now talking about ultra-processed foods.
26:36And Deputy Secretary Diamantis is here, has put out an RFI now,
26:41a request for information where we're going to have a consensus definition of ultra-processed foods
26:46so we can help educate people in a meaningful way instead of misleading them
26:51with the broken food pyramid misinformation.
26:54We're rewriting those dietary guidelines with USDA and HHS.
27:00We're doing an inventory of all the chemicals in our food supply that are banned outside of the United States
27:06and asking, what are the most concerning chemicals here?
27:11We are cleaning up infant formula.
27:13We took action to remove the non-petroleum-based food dyes.
27:18We are reevaluating and addressing the broken grass standard.
27:23We are talking about medical devices now and how we can prioritize medical devices that empower people with good information about their own glycemic load.
27:34You know, most of the chronic diseases we see in medicine are really related to a couple basic principles.
27:41Insulin resistance and general body inflammation.
27:45And what drives that?
27:47Sugar and junk food.
27:49We're not talking about complex carbohydrates and things that come out of the ground.
27:53We're talking about ultra-processed foods that drive up the glycemic index.
28:00We're addressing the poisons in the U.S. food supply.
28:05And today, with this amazing moment for the first time in America in history,
28:11talking about taxpayer funding of our chronic disease epidemic in children,
28:16addressing the SNAP program to restore it to its mission to talk about the N in SNAP, which is nutrition.
28:24So I'm just so thankful to be a part of this historic day in America.
28:29It's been great to watch, especially with Governor Reynolds and Governor Morrissey.
28:34The great American experiment was that states would be the laboratory of innovation,
28:39and we're witnessing that right here today at this table.
28:43So thank you, and I'm looking forward to it.
28:45Well done.
28:46Well done.
28:47All right, everybody, we are going to sign the waivers right now.
28:50We'll take some pictures on each of the states, then we'll come back and answer questions.
29:02Governor Morrissey will do West Virginia first.
29:05All right, there's West Virginia.
29:15That's great.
29:17All right.
29:22You're so welcome.
29:23Number two, we will do Governor Jared Polis's request approved of Colorado.
29:29Again, this is not red or blue, Republican or Democrat.
29:32We are discussing and working with every state.
29:36So really excited to continue to work with Governor Polis, Colorado.
29:45Third on the list is Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis.
29:49So grateful to Florida for continuing to be such a leader in so many things, including the SNAP wapers.
29:57Number four, Louisiana, the wonderful Governor Jeff Landry, who was really hoping to be here today but couldn't make it, but here is Louisiana.
30:10Number five, Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, another great friend of freedom and real reform, Oklahoma.
30:23And finally, no offense to anyone here but the greatest state, Texas, Governor Greg Abbott and his wonderful team in Texas.
30:36Here we have Texas.
30:40All right.
30:41Thank you, everybody.
30:42We'll head back to the podium and we will take some questions.
30:45All right.
30:46First question.
30:47Yes, ma'am.
30:48Hi, Cheyenne.
30:49Food regulation and more broadly in the states, but also the SNAP waivers, has historically been a policy approach taken on mostly by Democrats and criticized by Republicans as nanny seeing.
31:05Now nearly ten Republican states have passed Maha legislation.
31:10Secretary, can you talk about how you have convinced Republican governors to be done?
31:15I was at the governor's conference in Colorado last week and I met with a whole string of Democratic governors, including Governor Polis, and they all committed to filing staff waivers.
31:32And doing other Maha legislation as well.
31:37They don't want to call them Maha because they think that's become kind of a partisan brand.
31:44And I don't care what they call it.
31:46They want to protect their children.
31:48And there's no such thing as Democratic children or Republican children.
31:52There are children and we should all care about them.
31:55And, you know, I don't care what party you're in.
32:00I, you know, there's been more enthusiasm today from Republicans.
32:07You're right.
32:08Traditionally it was a Democratic issue.
32:10And I'm very, very hopeful that more and more Democrats will, you know, continue to be in their party, but, you know, sign up to protect their children.
32:20Senator Rollins.
32:21Yes.
32:22Senator Rollins.
32:23Thanks so much for doing this.
32:24And Skylar with all sorts of news.
32:26I just wanted to check in.
32:28So the president released last week a flurry of, you know, trade deals and different rates in different countries.
32:35And the ag space were approaching harvest season.
32:38Right.
32:39Crop prices were soybeans, they were down a little bit.
32:43I was just wondering if you could give an update on if you're still tracking, you know, farmer aid, sort of how the administration is looking to protect farmers as we enter that harvest season, given, you know, that we're seeing these trade deals.
32:58No, I appreciate you saying that.
32:59Obviously, the first thing I think it's important to note is this president made a promise in February to realign the entire world economy around America and Americans first.
33:08As we are renegotiating trade deals around the world, historically, on average, American ag products are charged 15% on average as they move into other countries.
33:19We, in fact, charge on average 5% as their ag products moved into America.
33:24So obviously, that realigning and the idea of American, especially American farmers and ranchers, bowing to the altar of other countries' tariff regimes and tariff structures ended when President Trump announced on Liberation Day.
33:37But having said that into your question, which is a very good one, the importance of understanding the uncertainty of what this means for our agricultural producers, especially for our row croppers, some really great ones from Iowa, others from West Virginia across this country.
33:53When they were already operating on such thin margins, barely making it day to day, month to month, year to year, we've lost almost 200,000 family farms in just the last four or five years.
34:06The cost of inputs went up 30% under the last administration.
34:09Those margins are very precarious.
34:12And what we have said and what the President has committed to from day one is that this opening of markets around the world is unprecedented.
34:20Ultimately, our agriculture community, our farmers and ranchers are entering into a golden age of agriculture.
34:27But in this time of readjustment, there will be some uncertainty.
34:31So as we move into harvest season, the commitment remains that just as we've been saying for the last few months, that if in fact farmers are hurt in the short term while we work for the long term prosperity, that the USDA will be there to step in.
34:46Secretary Rollins.
34:47Secretary Rollins.
34:48Yes, ma'am.
34:49Marsha Brown with Politico.
34:50The Maha report is due out later this month.
34:52A lot of Maha advocates I've spoken to have said that they want to see this administration ban or limit pesticides.
34:59Will the Maha report ban or limit pesticides or make policy recommendations to do so?
35:04I'll answer that and then if Secretary Kennedy wants to lean in, there is no question that the use of crop protection tools remains one of the most important tools, if not the most important for our farmers to thrive and to, as I mentioned, to remain prosperous.
35:19There is no chance that our current system of agriculture can survive without those crop protection tools, including the fertilizers that you mentioned.
35:29Having said that, and I don't want to put words in Secretary Kennedy's mouth, so I'll let him answer if he wants to add anything, that the vision of moving America and supporting our farmers and ranchers and allowing, again, a golden age of agriculture, we will continue to work together.
35:47Secretary Kennedy mentioned they have met, he and his team have met with 130 different groups representing the farming and ranching industry.
35:57I have been with him on a lot of those.
35:59We visited a farm together in Texas.
36:01I have rarely seen anyone more open to understanding and learning and talking to, and I've also heard him say that we can't compromise our farmers and their ability to feed and fuel and clothe the world.
36:14So, I continue to look forward to working with him.
36:17The MAHA report is coming, the second part is coming to conclusion.
36:20We'll have announcements on that soon, but I feel very confident that his and our commitment to make sure that farmers are at the table remains paramount and that the report will reflect that.
36:31I don't know, Secretary, if you want to go ahead.
36:33That was a dad.
36:34Okay.
36:35Perfect.
36:37Thank you so much.
36:38Allison Snyder for .
36:39It's been reported that Susie Wilds and Laura Loomer convinced President Trump to fire drug evaluation and research director for .
36:47This was over for Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Terry's commission.
36:54It seems that he was restoring gold star science and really improving drug vaccine review.
37:01Do you think this is going to be a detriment to MAHA and everything you guys are working to accomplish?
37:05And how can we be reassured that the new person incoming is not a black dog for .
37:12Well, first of all, the idea that he was pushed out by anybody is simply untrue.
37:19He saw some media headlines and didn't want to be a distraction.
37:24We have encouraged him to reconsider and we're still doing that.
37:28And I am confident the FDA is going to continue to be strong.
37:32So, I am, the FDA is one of the greatest brands in the world and it's going to continue to do that.
37:39Secretary Kennedy, who's our second with Insight Health Policy.
37:42So, your proposed administration for LB America was not in the HHS Senate Appropriation Committee's Fundy Bill.
37:50I am curious why that was.
37:57Is this the RE-ORG?
38:00Yeah.
38:01I mean, we're right now, we were held up by a court order on the RE-ORG.
38:06But we're going through with the RE-ORG.
38:09Oh.
38:10Whether it was in the, I'm not sure what the funding is from the Senate though.
38:16We are, we're going through with the RE-ORG.
38:19Do you plan to get some of them on how priorities in that administration passed or are you working on that?
38:24I mean, we have full support from the President.
38:27He wants this done.
38:28He wants it.
38:29He wants it.
38:30He promised to make America healthy again and he's going to do that.
38:33He called me last night.
38:35He calls me three or four times a week and says, where are you?
38:38Why are people healthier yet?
38:40That's true.
38:41He's giving me under pressure.
38:44We have time for one more question.
38:46Secretary Kennedy, thank you for the Biden with the Washington Post.
38:51The Washington Post reported that you're planning to dismiss all 16 members of the U.S.
38:56preventive task force.
38:57Is that the case?
38:58And so what is your reasoning?
39:01We have not, we have not made a decision.
39:05We're reviewing that now.
39:07We're not, the task force has done very little over the past five years.
39:14And we want to make sure that it is performing, that it is, that it is approving interventions
39:22that are actually going to prevent the health decline of the American public.
39:27And it hasn't, let me put it this way, it hasn't been stellar at doing that job.
39:33But we're looking at the personnel and we're making a decision now, but no decision has been made.
39:39Okay, thanks Bryce.
39:41Thank you all.
39:42We're heading to the farmer's market.
39:43So y'all go buy some beef and dairy and produce.
39:47It'll be great.
39:48Right across the street.
39:49Thank y'all for coming.
39:51Nice to see you for having me.
39:53Are you welcome?
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