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(DCNF)—Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is sounding the alarm about corporate interests threatening to tank Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to serve as President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary.
With Kennedy facing two confirmation hearings next week, the prospective HHS secretary’s confirmation is uncertain due to a number of GOP holdouts who are thus far noncommittal. Luna, who supports Kennedy’s nomination and has been a driving force behind Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) priorities in Congress, is warning that senators will face immense pressure from large corporations profiting off the country’s chronic disease crises to oppose Kennedy’s nomination.
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“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, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told the DCNF. “[Opposing Kennedy’s nomination] would signify that they’re corporate shills that have no invested interest in keeping our people healthy but sick for their own personal gain and interest.”
“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,” Luna added.
Luna, who served as a surrogate for Trump’s 2024 Presidential campaign, believes that GOP senators would be rejecting the president’s mandate and core campaign promise to “Make America Healthy Again” if they were to oppose Kennedy’s nomination to serve as HHS secretary. Senators that vote “no” on Kennedy’s nomination would also invite backlash from millions of Trump-Vance voters across the country, including self-described “MAHA moms” that want to feed their families healthy foods free of toxins and harmful additives, according to Luna, who counts herself in that cohort.
“A lot of people have no idea the underground force that they’re playing with: the amount of moms especially that just do not want this sh*t in their food,” Luna, who described herself as label-conscious when she goes grocery shopping, said during the interview.
Kennedy’s GOP Holdouts
Kennedy is scheduled to appear before the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committees on Wednesday and Thursday.
The finance committee will likely vote the following week to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the Senate floor. Due to Senate Republicans’ one-seat majority on the committee, a single GOP senator could block Kennedy’s nomination in the event all Democratic lawmakers on the committee oppose Kennedy.
Three Republican senators who sit on the finance committee — Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Todd Young of Indiana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — have yet to take a firm position on Kennedy’s nomination.
Young’s staff told the DCNF that the Indiana Republican’s meeting with Kennedy was “very positive.”
Tillis has committed to voting for any Trump nominee that advances out of committee, but has not commented on whether he plans to support Kennedy during the Finance committee vote. A spokesperson for Tillis did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Cassidy, a former gastroenterologist, has complimented parts of Kennedy’s advocacy around ultra-processed foods and chronic disease, but suggested the HHS secretary nominee is “wrong” about vaccines, during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” on Jan 5.
Had a frank conversation with HHS nominee @RobertKennedyJr. We spoke about vaccines at length. Looking forward to the hearings in HELP and Finance. pic.twitter.com/FIcNYLNlr0
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) January 8, 2025
GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, seen as more willing to oppose some of Trump’s nominees, could also pose problems for Kennedy. Just four GOP senators could tank Kennedy’s nomination on the Senate floor assuming all Senate Democrats vote against Kennedy to lead HHS.
MAHA’s Momentum Heading Into Kennedy’s Confirmation Fight
Luna told the DCNF that more of her Republican colleagues are adopting Kennedy’s positions on various food and health issues that the presumptive HHS secretary pushed to the forefront of the national political conversation during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“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 DCNF. “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,” Luna told the DCNF.
But the Florida lawmaker has faced resistance from her own party in attempting to regulate harmful chemicals in the food supply.
Bills that Luna introduced last Congress to ban artificial food dyes linked to cancer and high-fructose corn syrup, associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes, did not advance out of the Republican-controlled Energy and Commerce committee.
Our food affects every part of our lives, including our hormones, immune system, microbiome, brain chemistry, and more. What we fuel our bodies with matters.
That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to BAN harmful additives and toxic seed oils from everyday foods! #MAHA
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) January 22, 2025
She is considering introducing legislation this Congress to place warning labels on artificial and harmful food ingredients, which could garner more support from GOP colleagues than implementing outright bans.
Luna’s spokesperson sent the DCNF a list of 15 food additives she would like to regulate by requiring their packaging comes with warning labels, similar to the ones seen on cigarette boxes. Many of these ingredients, including Red Dye 40, Green Dye 3, Yellow Dyes 5 and 6, either require warning labels or are banned in the European Union.
Luna is optimistic that the Biden Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to ban Red Dye 3 in the last weeks of the administration, a long-time goal of Kennedy’s, spurs momentum at the federal level to further crackdown on harmful additives in the food supply.
The FDA banned Red Dye 3 for use in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990 after scientific studies linked the synthetic dye to cancer in laboratory animals, but allowed the color additive to remain in the food supply.
“It’s not going to just be him [Kennedy],” Luna told the DCNF. “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.”
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Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
