The Agriculture Department announced Wednesday that it had selected Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and president’s former housing secretary, as an adviser on nutrition, health and housing.
Dr. Carson will lead the agency’s efforts to address chronic diseases and inadequate rural housing, the agriculture secretary, Brooke L. Rollins, said. He will also join Ms. Rollins’ work on the Make America Healthy Again commission.
“Today, too many Americans are suffering from the effects of poor nutrition,” Dr. Carson said in a statement. “Through common-sense policymaking, we have an opportunity to give our most vulnerable families the tools they need to flourish.”
Dr. Carson has endorsed the goals of the MAHA movement, questioning food additives and agreeing with the Agriculture Department’s recent policy of allowing states to stop people from using food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to buy certain junk foods and soda.
The appointment comes on the heels of an announcement from President Trump on Saturday that he will award Dr. Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Linda Qiu is a Times reporter who specializes in fact-checking statements made by politicians and public figures. She has been reporting and fact-checking public figures for nearly a decade.
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