Calley Means cites MAHA wins as movement frustration grows

Departure comes less than two weeks before the midterm election

Before the resignation, the administration’s Make America Healthy Again food agenda was under strain from inside the White House. MSI reported in June that the administration’s food-system overhaul was stalled, with officials and food companies warning that new regulations could raise grocery prices.

UPI reported Oct. 22 that Means, a top advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said Thursday he was resigning. The report described Means as a major Make America Healthy Again ally in the White House and said he was credited with introducing Kennedy to President Donald Trump. His departure comes less than two weeks before the midterm election, and UPI reported that many in the MAHA movement are frustrated with the Trump administration.

Neither the White House nor the Department of Health and Human Services have publicly commented on Means’s resignation.

Means’s departure statement credits Trump and Kennedy

Means said in a statement that he was proud of his work in the administration, commending Trump and Kennedy for fighting “a corrupt DC bureaucracy.” He continued: “I leave with tremendous respect for President Trump and RFK — two historic figures who are committed to confronting a corrupt DC bureaucracy that is doing everything possible to protect the status quo.”

Means also said: “The past two years have seen historic policy and cultural change to confront the chronic disease crisis and healthcare incentives that profit from us being sick. This movement is in the first inning and just getting started.”

Frustration grows over the White House’s approach to MAHA goals

UPI reported that frustration has been growing within the MAHA movement over the White House’s approach to its core goals, including the elimination of pesticides and chemicals from the food supply, reducing the dependence on ultraprocessed foods and changing vaccination policies.

The MAHA victories Means cited

In a post on social media, Means cited some victories by MAHA, including changes in the food pyramid and dietary guidelines, promoting psychedelic medicine, removing soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and reforms in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Generally Recognized as Safe, or GRAS, designation.

An earlier June 5 report described Calley Means as a top Kennedy aide discussing affordability while the administration’s food agenda was stalled; his resignation changes the White House personnel involved in that policy effort.