EPA’s MAHA Agenda Still Unfulfilled, Frustrating Activists
WASHINGTON — Eight months after Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to release a formal Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, the document has yet to materialize, leaving the activist coalition that helped elect President Donald Trump increasingly frustrated. The EPA now characterizes MAHA as an ongoing effort rather than a single report, according to AP News.
A Promise Unkept
In December 2025, after MAHA activists circulated a petition calling for Zeldin’s removal, the EPA administrator pledged to release a formal agenda outlining the agency’s priorities on chemical safety, pesticide regulation, and other health concerns. But despite repeated assurances that the document was being drafted, no such agenda has been released.
When asked for a status update this week, an EPA spokesperson told the Associated Press that “the notion that MAHA is a single document waiting to be unveiled fundamentally misrepresents how we operate,” adding that work on MAHA priorities is “active and expanding every day.”
“I had really hoped that there would be specific steps that were taken through a MAHA agenda,” said Kelly Ryerson, a prominent activist known as “Glyphosate Girl” who advocates for nontoxic food systems. “We haven’t had any of the wins that we were requesting.”
Microplastics: Bold Promise, Quiet Retreat
The pattern of bold announcements followed by quiet retreats is perhaps best illustrated by the administration’s handling of microplastics. On April 2, 2026, Zeldin joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to announce that microplastics and pharmaceuticals would be added to the EPA’s Contaminant Candidate List for the first time — a move hailed as a major MAHA victory. “For too long, Americans have vocalized concerns about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. That ends today,” Zeldin said at the time, according to an EPA news release.
Yet in late June, the EPA released its proposed Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), which excluded microplastics and pharmaceuticals from mandatory testing. The Chemical and Engineering News reported that the omission drew sharp criticism from advocacy groups. Betsy Southerland, a former senior official in EPA’s water office, described the reversal as rendering the agency’s earlier promises “functionally toothless.”
Deregulation vs. Health Promises
Under Zeldin, the EPA has aggressively pursued deregulation. The administrator has proposed overturning the landmark finding that climate change threatens human health and has rolled back dozens of environmental regulations. At the same time, the agency has touted multiple “MAHA wins,” including $945 million in grants to address PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water.
Critics argue these actions contradict the administration’s health-focused rhetoric. “Zeldin pays lip service to MAHA, but sadly he is actually making Americans less safe from toxic chemicals,” said Jeremy Symons, a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Network, a group of former EPA officials.
Industry Influence at the EPA
Adding to activists’ concerns, former industry lobbyists now hold key positions at the agency. Kyle Kunkler, a former soybean industry lobbyist, leads pesticide policy. Under his watch, the EPA recently allowed continued use of dicamba, a weedkiller linked to increased cancer risk, despite MAHA activist opposition. Nancy Beck, a former executive at the American Chemistry Council, serves as a top official in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
Midterm Implications
The growing disconnect between the administration and its MAHA supporters carries political consequences. Many activists say they plan to vote on issues over party in the November congressional elections, potentially threatening Republican turnout.
“People are done with the profits of corporations being prioritized over public health,” said Alexandra Muñoz, a molecular toxicologist who collaborates with activists. “And I think that will have an important role in the midterms.”
What’s Next
With the midterm elections approaching, the absence of a formal MAHA agenda removes a concrete document for accountability but also eliminates a potential campaign accomplishment for the administration. The White House previously released a MAHA report in May 2025 identifying environmental chemicals as a leading cause of chronic disease in children, but activists say the administration has failed to translate those findings into regulatory action.
For Ryerson and others, the lack of a promised agenda reads as a tactic to escape accountability. “It absolves them of any failures, especially when it comes to midterms,” she said. “They won’t have to point to some list that they haven’t been able to achieve really anything on.”
As the November elections draw closer, the question remains whether the MAHA movement’s frustration will translate into political action — and whether the EPA will deliver on its promises before voters head to the polls.