U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will visit New Mexico next week as part of a three-day, multi-state tour promoting the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, a cornerstone of President Trump’s second-term health policy agenda.
The tour, running April 7–9, will take Kennedy across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, highlighting sweeping public health reforms, tribal partnerships, and school nutrition innovations aimed at addressing chronic disease and wellness disparities in the Southwest.
Kennedy’s visit comes as New Mexico is among several states enacting legislation aligned with MAHA objectives. New laws celebrated during the tour include bans on ultra-processed foods and synthetic dyes in public schools, limitations on the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for purchasing soda and candy, and a prohibition on the fluoridation of public water systems.
“These policies mark a new chapter in how we think about public health — not as a reactive system, but as a proactive investment in our children, our families, and our communities,” Kennedy said in a statement released ahead of the tour.
A central focus of Kennedy’s New Mexico leg will be tribal health and self-governance. He is slated to participate in a fireside chat with tribal leaders, addressing the critical role of Indigenous innovation in advancing healthcare delivery, community wellness, and economic development.
In partnership with the Navajo Nation, Kennedy will also discuss food sovereignty programs and tribal-led wellness initiatives. The Navajo Nation is notable for implementing the country’s first tribal “junk food tax” in 2014, a policy seen by the MAHA campaign as a model for grassroots nutrition reform.
The tour will include a stop at a charter school serving students from Pre-K through 11th grade, where Kennedy will observe how integrated health practices — including daily physical activity and scratch-cooked meals — are embedded into school culture.
According to HHS, the school embodies MAHA’s vision for student well-being as a foundation for academic success and lifelong health.
Secretary Kennedy will also visit a pair of health centers, including one that features a teaching kitchen for medical students and another that emphasizes nutrition-based care for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension — a significant concern in rural and tribal communities across New Mexico.
Though no press conference is scheduled in New Mexico as of now, HHS has announced two media events: one in Salt Lake City and one in Phoenix, featuring Secretary Kennedy alongside state legislators.
I hope he stays away from the NM democrat politicians, they will screw up anything positive that would come from this visit.