Pollster Highlights Democratic Concerns Over HHS Secretaries
On Fox News’ “Hannity,” pollster Matt Towerley remarked that Democrats are quite anxious as Americans largely back Health and Human Services (HHS) secretaries Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy (Maha) initiative.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Democrats criticized the HHS secretaries for their remarks about certain agencies and vaccine guidance for children, with some even calling for their resignation. Fox host Sean Hannity asked Towerley to weigh in on the HHS secretary’s approval rating.
“Yeah, there’s a good reason for the strong reactions we saw from Democrats today. I’d like to share some other numbers,” Towerley stated. “A recent poll showed that 73% support Maha’s initiative to eliminate dyes from food, as well as efforts by Republican Senator Marshall to regenerate soil for safer agriculture. Also, 73% support President RFK’s Physical Test.”
President Trump appointed Kennedy to head the administration’s Maha initiative, and since then, Kennedy has made significant strides. In April, the administration revealed plans to phase out six petroleum-based food dyes from the food supply by the end of 2026. By July, the US FDA approved its fourth natural food coloring and launched a new website to monitor businesses committing to eliminate these additives.
Kennedy has also challenged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its Covid-19 policies and vaccine recommendations, emphasizing public concerns about vaccine safety.
“If all this is so popular, why are they worried? Here’s another statistic on vaccine safety: 57% of people think vaccines are safe in this country,” Towerley noted. “For Covid vaccines, it’s 54% who feel they’re safe, while others remain uncertain.”
“Getting people to accept the vaccine is tricky. A significant portion of the public lacks confidence in its safety. President Trump asked for transparency to demonstrate vaccine safety, but that hasn’t happened yet. This uncertainty contributes to the support for what Robert Kennedy is advocating, which makes Democrats uneasy,” Towerley added.
Despite pushback from the Democrats, recent polls show that public backing for Kennedy and the Maha initiative remains robust.
A June Axios-IPSOS poll revealed that 87% of participants believe the US should enhance food safety, advocating for updated nutrition guidelines, clearer labeling on foods containing artificial dyes, and reduced pesticide exposure. Moreover, 57% of Americans perceive chemicals or unsafe additives in food as a significant health risk.
Adding to the support for Maha, CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten commented that Kennedy is the “most popular” official in Trump’s cabinet, boasting a higher net approval rating than Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
