U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to celebrate legislation banning water fluoridation during his upcoming Make America Healthy Again tour.
Mr. Kennedy will visit Utah, Arizona and New Mexico between April 7 and 9, during which he will meet with elected officials, tribal leaders, nutrition experts and charter school visionaries as part of the federal government’s Make America Healthy Again initiative.
During the tour, Mr. Kennedy plans to visit several health centers and a charter school, as well as participate in fireside chats and discussions with leaders, according to an April 4 news release. Additionally, he will celebrate several pieces of legislation that ban the addition of fluoride in public water supplies, ban ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools and restrict purchases of candy and soda for people with SNAP benefits.
Mr. Kennedy has previously spoken out against water fluoridation, stating in November that the Trump administration would aim to remove fluoride from public water sources. The Trump administration has not yet confirmed that it is a policy priority.
Utah recently became the first state to enact a statewide ban on water fluoridation. HB81 prohibits the addition of fluoride to public water supplies, but allows people to visit a pharmacist for fluoride supplements to support dental health.
The Utah Dental Association, the American Dental Association and the American Dental Hygienists Association had urged the governor to veto the bill, citing the benefits of water fluoridation for supporting dental health.
The announcement of Mr. Kennedy’s tour also comes after the HHS Department initiated restructuring plans that resulted in the CDC’s oral health division being shut down.
