Washington, D.C. — On May 12, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs MAHA-MAGA Alliance Fractures for Americans. The signing ceremony included several top health officials, signaling a unified effort to tackle rising medication prices.
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary were present alongside Trump during the announcement.
This executive order seeks to make prescription medications more affordable by increasing transparency and encouraging competition in the pharmaceutical industry.
MAHA Institute Launches in Washington, Blending Health Activists with Trump’s MAGA Movement
The opulent ballroom of the Willard InterContinental Hotel, a popular venue for high-profile industry events, recently hosted a unique gathering. Food influencers, organic farmers, and anti-vaccine advocates came together to launch the MAHA Institute, part of the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has gained attention during the second Trump administration.
The event featured discussions on medical freedom, vaccine exemptions, school lunch policies, and chronic illness. Attendees included farmers emphasizing the benefits of local produce alongside concerns about chemtrails, and college students promoting a health startup focused on the benefits of “touching grass.”
Calley Means, an advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., addressed the crowd, highlighting the unusual alliance between MAHA supporters and Trump’s MAGA base. “Many here four to eight years ago would have found it strange to support President Trump,” Means said. “But in 2024, voting for Trump felt like the most important decision of their lives.”
Since taking office nearly three months ago, Kennedy has assembled a leadership team filled with Covid-19 skeptics and health “renegades.” Working alongside Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), they are pushing a major restructuring of the nearly $3 trillion HHS agency. This includes significant cuts to medical research and widespread layoffs, causing the exit of some of the government’s most experienced specialists.
Tensions Rise Between MAHA and MAGA Allies Amid HHS Shake-Up
The recent changes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have started to create divisions between traditional Trump allies and supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
According to several current and former officials familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity due to sensitivity, early signs of friction are emerging between the MAHA and MAGA camps. The White House expressed frustration over how Kennedy’s team managed a recent measles outbreak in Texas and other states.
Adding to the tension, Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s principal deputy chief of staff, has imposed strict controls on how agency officials communicate publicly. Spear now requires that she personally review all statements and reports before release, signaling tighter oversight within the agency.
Inside RFK Jr.’s Leadership: MAHA Movement Faces Internal Friction Amid Agency Overhaul
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sparked frustration on multiple fronts, as he tries to balance the demands of vaccine critics with those of public health officials, sources close to the agency told CNN.
Tensions are not only growing between the traditional Trump MAGA allies and Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) supporters, but also within the MAHA movement itself. Earlier this month, disagreements surfaced publicly when some prominent MAHA advocates criticized Trump’s new surgeon general pick, Dr. Casey Means, sister of White House advisor Calley Means. While Dr. Means focuses on chronic illness and holistic care, some MAHA supporters feel she hasn’t addressed vaccine safety — especially regarding COVID-19 vaccines — enough.
A key challenge for the MAHA movement is overcoming years of being dismissed by mainstream medicine and science. Many in the group, including Kennedy, remain deeply skeptical of established medical institutions.
“The number of true MAHA supporters in top positions at HHS is around 75 in an agency of 60,000 employees,” said Mark Gorton, co-president of the MAHA Institute. “Their job is daunting because bureaucracies resist change.”
Still, sources say Kennedy’s inner circle of MAHA leaders has gained significant control over government health agencies.
“Anyone with real power and control right now is a MAHA person,” a former official said.
Also Read: Trump Signs New Executive Order to Lower Prescription Drug Prices for Americans
White House spokesperson Kush Desai confirmed to CNN that the MAHA movement is central to Trump’s broader MAGA agenda. “Secretary Kennedy is trusted and empowered by President Trump to address America’s chronic disease crisis, a priority shared across the administration,” Desai said.
Kennedy’s ‘Renegade’ Team: A New Era at Health Agencies
Kennedy describes his leadership team as close-knit and united like never before among top health officials.
“We’re friends. We go to lunch together; we stay at each other’s homes; we vacation together,” Kennedy told Fox News recently. He appeared alongside key figures including Dr. Marty Makary, FDA commissioner; Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH director; and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Kennedy’s ‘Renegade’ Health Team Pushes Against Covid-19 Orthodoxy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes his leadership team as united by shared values and a commitment to challenging mainstream views.
“We’re aligned in our vision. Friendship is based upon shared values, and that’s the strongest bond that holds people together,” Kennedy said. “Here you have four people, all canceled during Covid, leading this agency as renegades and juggernauts against convention, seeking the truth no matter the cost.”
Each member of Kennedy’s team gained prominence as critics of the government’s Covid-19 response, especially regarding shutdowns and vaccination campaigns. A former Trump health official described the group as “made for TV” due to their high profiles and outspoken views.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, known widely from his television career, advised President Trump early in the pandemic and pushed for reopening schools. He also promoted hydroxychloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment despite a lack of scientific evidence.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH director, was an early voice against broad shutdowns. In October 2020, he co-authored a paper advocating that young, healthy people could safely resume normal activities to build herd immunity against the virus.
Kennedy’s Health Leaders Drive MAHA Vision Amid Agency Overhaul and Rising Tensions
Surgeon and author Dr. Marty Makary initially supported some public health measures during the pandemic, including early shutdowns and mask mandates. However, his opposition to vaccine mandates and doubts about booster shots have drawn him closer to COVID-19 critics.
Each member of Kennedy’s leadership team has been tasked with reshaping their agencies to align with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, while also implementing budget cuts directed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This has led to the elimination of programs, research projects, and staff positions.
Dr. Makary has launched initiatives at the FDA to remove certain food dyes and review vaccine approval processes. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya leads a large autism research effort but is also overseeing a major restructuring of the $48 billion NIH budget, merging groups and reducing funding. Dr. Mehmet Oz promotes the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare outreach and supports possible Medicaid access requirements.
Tensions surfaced recently over Trump’s appointment of Dr. Casey Means as surgeon general, replacing Dr. Janette Nesheiwat. Some MAHA supporters have criticized Means for not calling to remove COVID-19 vaccines from the market.
Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, founder of Americans for Health Freedom, posted on X: “The new Surgeon General has never called for the Covid shots to be pulled off the market. That’s why she was picked. Kennedy is powerless.”
Growing Divisions Emerge Over Kennedy’s MAHA Leadership and Surgeon General Pick
Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate in the 2024 independent presidential race, publicly questioned the appointment of Dr. Casey Means as surgeon general. On X (formerly Twitter), Shanahan suggested that Kennedy might be “reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions (and it isn’t President Trump).”
Shanahan also criticized Kennedy’s MAHA initiatives, saying while efforts to target food dyes are welcome, bigger issues like glyphosate and mRNA vaccines have not received enough attention. “Sure, we can make Fruit Loops great again, but let’s not overlook the bigger issues—glyphosate and mRNA,” she wrote.
The criticism prompted Kennedy to defend Means, a holistic medicine doctor closely tied to the MAHA movement and Kennedy’s campaign. Steve Kirsch, a well-known anti-COVID vaccine advocate, initially criticized Means on X but later reversed his stance after a conversation with Kennedy.
Meanwhile, internal tensions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are rising. Many federal employees are leaving the agency, frustrated by changes under Kennedy’s leadership and his chief of staff, Stefanie Spear. Spear, a former environmental journalist, reportedly requires all external communications — including press responses, routine reports from the CDC, and NIH research articles — to be reviewed by her first, according to multiple sources familiar with the agency.
Communication Breakdown and Staff Exodus Heighten Struggles at HHS Under Kennedy
Stefanie Spear, Chief of Staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., controls much of the information and communications that reach the secretary, sources say. A former official described Spear as “one of the biggest challenges” to Kennedy receiving honest feedback from his team, adding, “Everything is filtered through her.”
This communication bottleneck frustrated White House officials, especially during the early stages of a measles outbreak now affecting over 1,000 cases across 30 states, according to CDC data. White House staff reported difficulty getting timely updates from HHS, often being redirected to Spear, who tightly manages agency communications. Despite these challenges, Kennedy told congressional committees last week that the U.S. has “handled this measles outbreak better than any other nation.”
The leadership turmoil and agency shake-ups have led to a mass departure of experts from HHS. The legal office, in particular, has seen so many resignations that concerns are growing about the agency’s ability to handle upcoming legal disputes, including battles with Harvard University over frozen research grants.
