The White House plans to correct errors in a high-profile federal report led by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The report, titled Make America Healthy Again, takes aim at the nation’s food supply, pesticide use and pharmaceutical industry.
Released last week, the sweeping document cites hundreds of studies to support its claims. However, a review by the news organisation NOTUS revealed that some of the referenced studies could not be found or did not exist.
When asked about the discrepancies, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the report will be updated to address the issues.
“I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated.” Leavitt told reporters during her briefing. “But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government.”
Kennedy has consistently pledged to introduce “radical transparency” and uphold “gold-standard” science within public health agencies.
However, he has declined to disclose who authored the 72-page Make America Healthy Again report, which advocates for greater scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule and portrays American children as overmedicated and undernourished.
Despite the lack of disclosure, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration maintains “complete confidence” in Secretary Kennedy.
“Minor citation and formatting errors have been corrected,” HHS Spokesman Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement. He described the report as a “historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation’s children.”
On Thursday, NOTUS reported that at least seven of the more than 500 studies cited in Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report appear to have never been published.
One researcher, whose name was included, confirmed she had studied childhood anxiety but did not author the report cited. In several cases, studies were also misinterpreted, particularly those related to children’s screen time, medication use, and anxiety.
The MAHA report had already raised concerns among Trump-aligned critics, including farmers who objected to how it portrayed chemicals used in US agriculture.
The report is intended to inform a set of policy recommendations expected later this year. Meanwhile, the White House has requested an additional $500 million in congressional funding to support Kennedy’s MAHA initiative.