MAHA Wins: Louisiana Voters Oust Sen. Cassidy, Iowa Goes MAHA, and the Surgeon General and HHS Urge Parents to Limit Kids’ Screen Time
As we commemorate Memorial Day this weekend, we reflect on several major MAHA wins at the national and state level. It was a big week – from helping children reconnect with the physical world, to providing real-world assistance for farmers, to securing a huge MAHA electoral victory.
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Julia Letlow defeats Cassidy in Louisiana primary
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy lost his primary, coming in third place behind John Fleming and first place winner, Julia Letlow – the MAHA Pac-backed candidate. The top two candidates advance to a June runoff, while Cassidy, chair of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, will exit the Senate on January 3, 2027.
Iowa Governor signs landmark MAHA bill
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the MAHA Act (HF 2676) into law in a ceremony attended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The bill passed the Iowa House 61–31 and Iowa’s Senate 30–16 prior to arriving on the Governor’s desk.
In an effort aimed at improving the mental and physical wellbeing of children, the new law restricts digital instruction for K–5 students to 60 minutes per day, with exceptions for those with special needs. The bill also mandates daily physical activity (at least 40 minutes for K–4 students); requires nutrition education highlighting animal-based proteins, dairy, vegetables, and fruits; reinstates key elements of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test; and calls for studying technology use in higher grades.
The legislation also bans specific artificial dyes and additives in school meals and vending machines, including Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1 and 2, Green 3, potassium bromate, and propylparaben. Further, it directs the state to continuously pursue federal waivers for programs such as SNAP, Summer EBT, and school lunches. These waivers aim to restrict unhealthy foods and update nutritional standards related to sodium, whole grains, and other criteria.
In healthcare and related areas, the MAHA Act requires at least 40 hours of nutrition and metabolic health coursework for Iowa medical school graduates, effective 2028. It also mandates one hour of relevant continuing education every four years for physicians in applicable fields.
Additional provisions allow Ivermectin to be sold over the counter in Iowa.
HHS and Surgeon General urge families to limit children’s screen time
The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General has released an advisory and toolkit that outlines problems caused by excessive screen time among children and offers solutions. Screens provide some benefits, but addictive design features such as infinite scroll, algorithms, autoplay, and rewards often drive compulsive use. This leads to addictive behaviors. Screen time often starts before age one and increases sharply. Toddlers average about two hours per day, while teens exceed four hours. This can surpass time spent sleeping or in school.
The advisory defines ‘harmful use’ as patterns that interfere with development, sleep, relationships, or responsibilities. It covers not only social media but also gaming, gambling-like mechanics, AI chatbots, and other digital activities. The report stresses the precautionary principle: action is needed even as research continues to evolve. Evidence links harmful screen use to negative effects on cognitive and emotional development, physical health, education, and mental health. Early exposure is tied to weaker language, attention, and social-emotional skills. School-aged children face higher risks of obesity, myopia (with projections of 40 percent affected by 2050), sleep problems, and less physical activity. In teens, heavy use—especially social media—is associated with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, body image issues, cyberbullying (affecting nearly half of adolescents), aggression, substance use, and sextortion (experienced by 3.5 to 5 percent of minors). These harms occur through displacement of real-world interactions, blue light exposure, sedentary behavior, and contact with harmful content.
Kennedy calls on Congress to pass the Railway Safety Act
Following Kennedy’s call to action, in a 54-11 vote, the The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee added the Railway Safety Act amendment to the BUILD America 250 Act. Texas Representative Troy E. Nehls called this a major victory.
Key provisions include: mandating wayside defect detectors (such as hotbox detectors) at an average of every 15 miles, with requirements for trains to stop when issues are detected; expanding “high-hazard train” rules to cover more substances with added speed limits, improved braking, route risk analysis, and real-time notifications to states; requiring minimum inspection times for rail cars, phasing out older tank cars; and setting two-person crew minimums for most freight trains.
The bill also addresses long-train safety reviews, blocked crossings, higher civil penalties for violations, enhanced emergency response funding and training (including PPE and post-incident reimbursement for first responders), and stronger hazardous materials emergency planning. The bill aims to prevent derailments like the 2023 catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio, while improving oversight and community preparedness.
“East Palestine reminded the country that a single derailment can devastate an entire community’s health, environment, and future,” Secretary Kennedy wrote on X a day before the vote. “I’ve spent decades fighting to protect communities from toxic chemical exposure, and the families in East Palestine deserve lasting accountability and stronger safeguards to prevent this from ever happening again. Our message to Congress is clear: pass the Railway Safety Act.”
Real food for struggling families
HHS and USDA announced a joint initiative to boost Americans’ access to high-quality protein and strengthen nutrition security. HHS is investing $7.5 million in a partnership with HATCH for Hunger to redirect surplus protein (such as meat, eggs, and dairy) to families in need, reduce food waste, improve health outcomes, and combat chronic disease per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
USDA also plans to award up to $7.5 million in grants to enhance cold chain infrastructure for emergency food assistance, including support for nonprofits and faith-based organizations to safely distribute nutrient-dense proteins.
New reforms for foster children in Congress and in Mississippi
The House of Representatives unanimously passed the Fostering the Future Act championed by First Lady Melania Trump. The Act is a bipartisan legislative package designed to modernize the foster care system and provide better resources for foster children on the brink of adulthood. The Act also increases financial support for education, expands access to housing vouchers, and provides specialized services for expectant or parenting foster youth.
As the bill was passed, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that her state has joined ACF’s Operation Hope, and that 13 missing foster children have already been located, offered support and brought to safety.
Montana officially joins healthy SNAP revolution
The USDA granted Montana a SNAP waiver, allowing the state to restrict the purchase of junk foods through the SNAP program.
The EPA implements regulatory changes to assist farmers
The EPA announced the restoration of the Right to Repair for farm equipment. This means that companies will be restricted from voiding warranties when farmers repair their equipment themselves or through local repair shops.
The EPA also rolled back Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) requirements by reversing deratements — the automatic engine power reductions that occur when the emissions system detects a DEF fault — and eliminating mandatory DEF sensors. It is also finalizing a new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition aligned with the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. This change aims to end federal overreach on private property waters and remove the need for farmers to hire attorneys or consultants.
That's a lot of great progress!
Parents limiting screen time when their kids are younger, will prevent the children from developing worse habits and unnecessary obsessions as they grow into adulthood.