HomeNewsCongressU.S. House slips Trump a tip of something terrible brewing in the...

U.S. House slips Trump a tip of something terrible brewing in the U.S. Senate

Date:

Related stories

Trump’s second term has only just begun. And there’s a bad omen waiting for him around the corner.

That’s why the U.S. House just slipped Trump a tip of something terrible brewing in the U.S. Senate.

Anna Paulina Luna Sounds the Alarm Over RFK Jr.’s HHS Nomination

Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is raising concerns over what she sees as a concerted effort by corporate interests to derail the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary. With Kennedy set to face two confirmation hearings next week, his confirmation remains uncertain, largely due to the hesitancy of several Republican senators. Luna, a staunch supporter of Kennedy’s nomination, warns that powerful corporate forces could influence these senators to vote against the nominee — an outcome she argues would reflect poorly on those involved.

As a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a leading advocate for the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, Luna believes that corporate interests, particularly in the agriculture and food industries, stand to lose substantial profits if Kennedy’s health-focused policies are implemented. These industries, Luna contends, have long benefited from the country’s ongoing health crises, including the rise in chronic diseases, and would go to great lengths to preserve their profits by blocking Kennedy’s confirmation.

In an interview with reporters on the Hill, Luna expressed her concerns: “I do believe that there are nefarious actors within the agriculture and food industries that are going to start putting financial top-down pressure on some of these senators in an effort to block his confirmation because they’re making a lot of money on making people sick.” Luna also emphasized that a vote against Kennedy would reveal the true nature of those opposing him: “They’re corporate shills that have no invested interest in keeping our people healthy but sick for their own personal gain and interest.”

Luna also suggested that while there are good people in Washington, the influence of large corporations has corrupted many, shaping their priorities. “There’s a lot of good people here in Washington, but there’s also a lot of bad people that I think are more controlled by corporations,” she added.

Republican Senators Face Major Test From Trump With Kennedy Hearings

Kennedy’s confirmation faces significant challenges in the Senate. His hearings are scheduled for next week, where he will testify before the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committees. The Finance Committee is particularly crucial, as it will vote on advancing his nomination to the Senate floor. With Senate Republicans holding a narrow one-seat majority on the committee, even a single Republican senator could block Kennedy’s nomination, assuming all Democratic members oppose him.

Three key Republican senators — Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Todd Young (Indiana), and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) — remain undecided on Kennedy’s nomination. According to Young’s staff, a recent meeting between the senator and Kennedy was “very positive.” Tillis has pledged to support any Trump nominee who advances out of committee but has not yet indicated how he will vote on Kennedy’s nomination. Cassidy, a former gastroenterologist, has acknowledged Kennedy’s work on issues like ultra-processed foods and chronic disease, but has expressed disagreement with Kennedy’s views on vaccines.

Other Republican senators, such as Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), are also seen as potential obstacles to Kennedy’s confirmation. If just four Republican senators oppose Kennedy on the Senate floor, his nomination could be blocked, assuming Democratic opposition.

For Luna, any GOP senator who votes against Kennedy’s confirmation would be rejecting not only the president’s choice but also a key component of Trump’s 2024 campaign platform: “Make America Healthy Again.” Luna insists that such a vote would alienate the millions of voters who support this cause, including many self-identified “MAHA moms” who are dedicated to ensuring their families eat healthy, toxin-free foods.

Kennedy Confirmation Possibly Gaining Momentum

Luna believes that Kennedy’s focus on food and health issues is resonating more with her colleagues in Congress, particularly as awareness grows about the harmful additives present in the food supply. “There’s also conversations on the floor from other members that are also now becoming educated on it [harmful ingredients in the food supply] and just are horrified because they have young kids, grandchildren,” Luna told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “A lot of people were just too trusting and unaware of what was happening with the food industry and just big corporate production… and how much stuff they were adding in just basically as filler instead of actual quality content, food products.”

However, Luna has encountered resistance within her own party when it comes to regulating harmful chemicals in food. Previous efforts to pass legislation banning harmful food additives, such as artificial food dyes linked to cancer and high-fructose corn syrup associated with obesity and diabetes, were unsuccessful, as the bills failed to advance out of the Republican-controlled Energy and Commerce Committee.

Undeterred, Luna is considering introducing new legislation that would require warning labels on certain harmful food ingredients, similar to the labels seen on cigarette packages. She believes that such an approach could garner more support from her GOP colleagues than outright bans. Her office has provided a list of 15 food additives she would like to regulate, including widely used chemicals like Red Dye 40, Green Dye 3, and Yellow Dyes 5 and 6 — many of which are either banned or require warning labels in the European Union.

Luna also sees the recent decision by the FDA to ban Red Dye 3 from use in food products as a step in the right direction. This long-standing goal of Kennedy’s was partially achieved when the FDA removed the dye from cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990 after studies linked it to cancer in lab animals. However, the dye remained in the food supply until late in 2024. Luna hopes that this move will spur further momentum for stricter regulations on food additives at the federal level.

“We’re going to keep pushing,” Luna said, “It’s not going to just be him Kennedy, it’s going to be me pushing from the House side. I’m going to get a sponsor in the Senate, and then you’ll have top-down pressure so we can hit it from all angles.”

The Conservative Column will bring you any major updates to the Kennedy confirmation process.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments