Last September, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released the government’s ambitious plan to improve the health of American children, promising reforms that he said would have been “unthinkable two years ago” and pledging to carry them out “very, very quickly.”
The highly publicized “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report laid out more than 100 goals, some that medical experts praised as worthwhile and many others that they dismissed as unscientific, potentially harmful or unlikely to improve children’s health.
The New York Times assessed the progress on the central promises in the four areas the report outlined — “poor diet,” “chemical exposure,” “lack of physical activity and chronic stress” and “overmedicalization” — and documented actions from the administration that have contradicted some of those goals.
In a statement, Grace Davis Jamison, a health department spokeswoman, wrote that Mr. Kennedy and President Trump have “delivered historic reforms that are fundamentally changing how the federal government approaches food, nutrition and chronic disease,” adding that the administration’s “record speaks for itself.”
REPORT PRIORITY NO. 1
‘Poor Diet’
The report proposed initiatives to improve children’s diets, including tightening oversight of chemicals in foods, developing a federal definition for ultraprocessed foods and restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods.
Steps toward the stated goals:
The administration released new dietary guidelines that for the first time recommended avoiding highly processed foods.
This move was supported by many health experts. But many also criticized the emphasis on meat and whole milk and the lack of transparency in the guidelines’ development, which included research reviews produced in secret by scientists with financial ties to the meat and dairy industries. (The report had promised to improve transparency and to reduce conflicts of interest in policymaking.)
The administration approved policies in 23 states to prohibit purchasing products like sodas and candies with SNAP dollars.
A court has blocked those policies in five states. Many experts support the restrictions, and early research suggests they have reduced sugary drink purchases by 13 percent among SNAP participants.
The Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule requiring food manufacturers to disclose their ingredients.
The policy is intended to close the so-called “GRAS loophole,” which has allowed companies to add chemicals to their products without telling the F.D.A. If finalized, the rule could give the agency a clearer picture of substances in the food supply, but it wouldn’t require federal officials to vet a chemical’s safety before it was used. And experts worry that the F.D.A. lacks the resources to scrutinize new ingredients, much less the thousands of others already in our food, especially after cuts to the agency.
The F.D.A. asked food manufacturers to remove petroleum-based dyes from their products.
Many (though not all) have promised to do so. Many experts support phasing out the dyes but say that doing so is unlikely to affect rates of childhood diseases.
The government has worked to develop a federal definition for ultraprocessed foods.
Mr. Kennedy had said this would be completed by the end of 2025, but the definition — which has been opposed by food industry groups — is still under review at the White House, with an uncertain fate.
President Trump signed legislation allowing schools to serve whole milk.
There is not clear evidence that consuming more milk fat will improve children’s health. The White House is also reviewing draft rules for school meals, following Mr. Kennedy’s promise to put more “real food” on cafeteria trays. Until those rules are released and finalized, it is too soon to tell if they will lead to healthier school meals.
Steps away from the stated goals:
The Agriculture Department canceled more than $1 billion in funding to purchase fresh foods from local farms.
The money helped schools and food banks purchase produce for students and low-income families.
The administration cut SNAP benefits.
An estimated 5 million fewer people now receive them, including at least 1.2 million children, leaving more people unable to afford healthy foods.
The administration also eliminated the $536 million SNAP-Ed program, a nutrition education and obesity prevention program that funded cooking classes, community gardens and farmers markets.
Harry Fones, a spokesman from the Agriculture Department, wrote that the number of SNAP enrollees is “constantly changing and is not representative of any one policy,” adding that the department offers support to low-income families.
Federal officials have not acted on other nutrition pledges.
The report said the administration would develop front-of-package nutrition labels to help shoppers make better grocery choices, but federal officials have yet to take steps toward this. Nor have they moved to limit marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
REPORT PRIORITY NO. 2
Trump Administration: Live Updates
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‘Chemical Exposure’
The report highlighted chemical exposures as potential drivers of chronic disease and called for more research into air and water quality, microplastics and pesticides.
Steps toward the stated goals:
The Trump administration announced millions of dollars in funding for research on chemical exposures.
This includes $130 million in grand prize challenge funding for research into the health effects of chemical exposures and alternatives to pesticides, $100 million for research that could lessen pesticide use and $144 million for microplastics research. The administration also pledged to invest in regenerative agriculture, a type of farming that uses fewer pesticides.
The E.P.A. proposed adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to a list of priority pollutants in drinking water.
That could theoretically lead to more research funding, but the proposal has not been finalized.
The F.D.A. issued new recommendations on fluoride supplements.
The agency discouraged their use, citing concerns about the chemical’s health effects. But experts said those supplements, already used sparingly, are important for children’s oral health.
Steps away from the stated goals:
President Trump issued an executive order aimed at spurring glyphosate production.
Some studies have suggested the herbicide is carcinogenic, though the research is not yet settled. Facing a backlash, President Trump signed another order calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize approving pesticide alternatives and for studies on the health risks of pesticides. But the order did not provide new federal funding for that research or propose new regulations.
The E.P.A. proposed scaling back air pollution guardrails.
That includes changes that would allow trucks to emit more smog-producing chemicals. This pollution can be especially dangerous for children, whose lungs are still developing.
The administration moved to repeal some limits on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water.
These “forever chemicals” have been linked to delayed development in children, as well as to an increased risk of some cancers and other health issues.
REPORT PRIORITY NO. 3
‘Lack of Physical Activity and Chronic Stress’
The report called for encouraging physical activity and increasing awareness about the effects of screen time.
Steps toward the stated goals:
President Trump signed an order reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test in American schools.
However, the test is not mandatory, and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that few states are prepared to implement the test.
The surgeon general’s office issued a warning about screen time for children.
The report encouraged parents to delay screen time for “as long as possible.” Surgeon general’s warnings aim to educate the public, but do not change policy.
The administration funded new and existing research on screen time and child development.
At the same time, experts have noted, the administration cut scores of other mental health grants.
Steps away from the stated goals:
The administration made sweeping cuts to Medicaid, which covers pediatric mental health services.
While the report links chronic stress to factors like excess screen time, experts have noted that actions such as the Medicaid cuts, which could lead to millions of children losing coverage, could undermine youth mental health more broadly.
The administration also moved to halt $1 billion in funding for mental health services for children.
That funding, approved by Congress after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, supported school counselors and other services. A judge ordered the administration to restore some of it; a legal battle over the cuts is continuing.
The administration paved the way for flavored e-cigarettes, despite the report linking vaping to anxiety and depression among young people.
Experts say the change could lead more teens to start vaping and become addicted.
REPORT PRIORITY NO. 4
‘Overmedicalization’
The report made proposals to reduce what it called “overmedicalization,” or the idea that children are being given too many medications and vaccines. These included examining psychiatric drug use and vaccine recommendations, as well as reining in prescription drug advertising.
Steps toward the stated goals:
The administration worked to upend the childhood vaccine schedule, though many medical experts said these efforts directly threaten children’s health.
The administration’s actions included significantly reducing the number of routine vaccines recommended by the C.D.C. (Those changes have been blocked in court.) Mr. Trump also issued several executive orders calling to scale back childhood vaccinations.
Mr. Kennedy also announced an initiative to reduce the use of antidepressants.
This included new trainings to help doctors taper patients off psychiatric drugs. While some psychiatrists welcomed a push for clearer tapering guidelines, others were concerned the moves would stigmatize the drugs and lead to fewer people getting the help they needed from medication.
The F.D.A. targeted deceptive drug ads.
Mr. Kennedy has said such advertisements have “hooked” Americans on prescription medications. The agency sent thousands of warning letters to drug companies about their ads, including to a company advertising attention deficit disorder medications to children.
Steps away from the stated goals:
Lower vaccination rates could lead to more childhood diseases.
While these actions have not yet led to substantial changes in the shots available to American children, experts say the moves have undermined trust in safe and effective shots. They worry that could lead to a further decline in vaccination against diseases like pertussis, measles and hepatitis B. These diseases can lead to chronic health issues that can require medications to manage, two things the report aimed to address.
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