The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement continues to gain both policy and political momentum as the 2026 midterms loom.
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement continues to gain both policy and political momentum as the 2026 midterms loom. By delivering on 2024 campaign promises to improve nutrition and support rural farms, the Republican Party has positioned itself to attract bipartisan support in 2026 for policies that matter to all Americans. Pending bipartisan legislation supporting U.S. production of organic foods ticks all the right political and policy boxes for MAHA — rural economic growth, improved profits for small farms, and a healthier citizenry.
The core of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s 2024 presidential campaign messaging focused not on vaccines but on America’s chronic health crisis and the role highly-processed foods play in giving rise to chronic disease. As HHS secretary, Kennedy has continued this whole-food crusade, with a dramatic pivot in the U.S. food pyramid away from high-carbohydrate, fattening diets toward nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, full-fat dairy, and quality proteins. A definition of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) is anticipated to be announced soon.
But there are some problems with this plan. If President Trump announced today that all American food will henceforth be wholesome and organic, that demand could not be met. Only about 1% of U.S. agricultural production is organic. Farmers cannot meet current domestic demand for organic meat and produce, let alone foreign demand, which continues to boom. Young Americans want grass-fed meat for healthy lives and happy palates. This is an economic as well as a health opportunity.
Currently, America imports many highly processed foods from China. The USA also imports a substantial share of so-called “organic” products from unregulated foreign sources. Small U.S. farms close down or sell up daily. This is a national security embarrassment. America must boost domestic organic food production.
President Trump faces a conundrum that grocery shoppers share: consumers want lower-cost, nutrient-dense foods, but producing them is more expensive. The administration brought down egg prices, but hamburger prices are stubborn: the nation’s beef herd is the smallest it has been in 75 years! How can the nation reduce the costs of wholesome foods while simultaneously increasing farmers’ profit margins?
Farmers are hard-working and business-savvy. They seek higher returns on their capital investments and labor, like any sensible business. Organic products have consistently provided higher returns to farmers. This isn’t an either-or proposition between conventional and organic agriculture: both contribute to the U.S. economy, and both should be supported by our federal agencies. Massive subsidies are devoted to large GMO cropping systems. Balancing that with investment in organic food production is just good policy.
The Domestic Organic Investment Act (DOIA) is a bipartisan effort to do just that, by funding increased storage, processing, aggregation, and distribution capacity for qualifying U.S. organic producers. In a press release supporting the DOIA, the Organic Trade Association states:
“The DOIA legislation directs USDA to set annual priorities that reduce dependence on imports and reflect input from organic farmers, businesses, and other stakeholders. Additionally, the Act supports U.S.-based farmers and businesses who apply, including producers, producer cooperatives, and commercial entities (including tribal governments) who handle certified organic products. All grants will require matching funds from the farm or business recipient.”
This initiative would add to $700 million in recent funding for regenerative agriculture announced by RFK Jr., USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. Support for organic and regenerative farming practices reduces pesticide and synthetic fertilizer use, restores depleted soils, conserves precious water resources, and supports rural economies and domestic agricultural production. It would also police organic food imports to ensure they do not unfairly compete with domestic producers by misrepresenting non-organic foods as organic.
If the MAHA challenge of improving food quality for Americans while lowering grocery costs is to be achieved, America’s farmers need regulatory and subsidy support. The nation’s farmers are also aging, and a new generation of young soil-nurturing entrepreneurs must be incentivized to invest their livelihoods in a vocation that is economically viable. The Domestic Organic Investment Act is a sensible cornerstone for fortifying national security and building a competitive agricultural sector for future generations of Americans.
The DOIA delivers vital legislative support for healthier, more profitable food supplies. With the U.S. midterm elections on the horizon, it also delivers on the Trump administration’s pledge to make Americans healthy again.
