The Trump Administration Backstabs MAHA
say hello to forever chemical pesticides
Good morning everyone.
Sorry for the absence the last few days. Because Running On Butter is funded by the federal government (we applied for a National Endowment for the Arts grant and received seven figures to “explore the profound ways butter shapes art, communities, and culture”), so things can get bureaucratic around here at ROB headquarters.
But I’m happy to report that we’re officially back in business today, given the government is back up in running.
Last week, I came down with a head cold. I know—I probably shouldn’t admit that I, the very embodiment of robust health and Viking level immunity, had a few rough days. But honesty is important in leadership. And according to the last leadership TED Talk I watched, I’m supposed to be “less power-hungry” and “more receptive” to you Buttercups. Sure. I’ll work on that. Whatever.
For the record, the only reason I got even slightly sick was because I ran a desert Ragnar relay last weekend with my brothers and some friends from church. If you’re unfamiliar with Ragnar, imagine the dystopian novel The Maze Runner, but with even more crying and less sleep.
See the photo below of my brothers and me at sunrise moments after finishing the race and questioning our life choices.
The New York Times wants us to hate our lives by avoiding salt. “Try seasoning your food with mushroom powder, nutritional yeast, and MSG,” they advise.
I’m considering implementing these replacements at Thanksgiving this year. I’m going to my girlfriend’s family in Indiana, and I’m pretty sure salt-less, mushroom-dusted mashed potatoes will be a dish the Midwest didn’t know it needed. How could the family not love me?
Seriously, though: salt is an essential nutrient. As in, you will genuinely suffer—and potentially die—if you avoid it. The research claiming salt is a direct cause of hypertension and heart failure is sketchy at best and intentionally misleading at worst.
So when you’re cooking at home, please don’t avoid salt. Because (a) it’s truly irreplaceable for flavor (sorry, shrooms), (b) it’s essential for virtually every biological function from your nervous system to your cardiovascular health, and (c) Jesus literally calls us to be the salt of the earth.
Use Celtic sea salt or Redmond salt.
The Trump administration’s EPA is preparing to approve a new class of PFA pesticides. These are manmade “forever chemicals” that take years to break down in the environment and are linked to developmental delays, infertility, and immune suppression.
MAHA is unhappy. HHS Director Bobby Kennedy repeatedly promised that a vote for him and Trump meant tighter oversight on pesticides, especially newly approved ones with documented health risks.
It also doesn’t help that the Biden administration had actually moved to restrict this same class of compounds. Now it appears the Trump EPA is being influenced by chemical-industry lobbyists in a way that contradicts basic MAHA priorities and public promises.
It’s important to note that the EPA is not under Kennedy’s authority. My sources say he is frustrated with the decision but also reluctant to overstep. Challenging the EPA could be seen as meddling in territory that isn’t his to govern, and he doesn’t want to risk irritating a president (or his chief of staff) who are not exactly known for their patience and grace.
This tug-of-war between lobbyists and some administration officials is a reminder that, even when we want and advocate for good and protective health policy, we should not expect politicians to consistently act in our best interest. That may sound blunt, but letting go of political hopefulness often leads to a more peaceful mindset.
The most effective way to create change is through market demand. Conventional, pesticide-dependent crops still dominate. Only three percent of American farms are organic.
Improving public health will require changing what farmers are incentivized to grow. If we want more organic crops, we have to buy organic crops. Farmers will follow the demand, and right now it simply isn’t there.
It is also true that an immediate, total ban on synthetic pesticides would destabilize the entire food system.
This became clear to me during a conversation with my friend Ashley from South Dakota. Her family grows wheat, corn, and soy. She graciously explained that without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, their farm and livelihood would collapse. The agricultural system is currently built around these inputs, and removing them overnight would disrupt American life.
All that to say: be the change you wish to see and buy organic.
And remember that conventional farmers like Ashley’s family are faithfully feeding America. Honor and thank them, even as we push for a better system.
We’re getting a fifth Toy Story, and if I’m interpreting the trailer correctly, it might be an effective warning against children’s screen time. In the teaser, Woody and Buzz and the gang are petrified by their human child’s newest arrival: a Lily Pad.
I, too, am scared of screens, Mrs. Potato Head.
Only 38% of Americans trust the government to handle domestic problems. Make that 35% after the Trump administration’s PFA chemical approval. :(
What fascinates me is this: barely a third of Americans trust the government to fix anything, yet socialism is having a wild resurgence. We don’t trust the government, but we want more of it in our lives?
In more discouraging news from the executive branch, the President pardoned a trail runner who was being criminally prosecuted for jogging outside the designated trails in Grand Teton National Park. I could not disagree with this pardon more. We voted tough on crime, people! Put the distance runner behind bars!
Despite facing some health concerns a few months back, Dolly Parton is back and stronger, and now on Substack. Did I subscribe? Of course.
Sydney Sweeney says she never wants to get Botox or injections. “I want to age gracefully” she said. This what what I told my plastic surgeon who also did Kris Jenners facelift.
Speaking of Kris… her 70th birthday bash looked unreal. Grieving that I wasn’t there to witness the champagne tower or eat my bodyweight in caviar. ROB is already working an invite to her 75th, where Kris will somehow look ten years younger than she does today.
It’s day 13 of No Sugar November. How is everyone doing? Hanging in there? Need a bit of encouragement or perhaps scorning from the Buttercups?
Look I don’t want to make assumptions (yes I do) but my favorite podcast host’s family lives in Indiana 🪱😂
I am X'ing Lee Zelin, administrator at the EPA to express my displeasure.