Calley Means, a close ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has resigned from his role within the Trump administration amid ongoing delays in advancing key food policy initiatives. Means has been a central figure in Kennedy’s food agenda and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which emerged following the political partnership between President Donald Trump and Kennedy in 2024.
Means played a pivotal role in facilitating a call between Kennedy and Trump shortly after an assassination attempt on the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania, a conversation that contributed to Kennedy’s subsequent endorsement of Trump. In a statement announcing his departure, Means expressed deep respect for both leaders and praised their efforts to challenge what he described as a “corrupt D.C. bureaucracy” resistant to change. He emphasized that, despite challenges, the movement to tackle chronic disease and reform healthcare incentives that profit from widespread illness is still in its early stages.
During his tenure, Means advocated for several reforms, including urging food manufacturers to eliminate synthetic dyes from products and seeking to close regulatory loopholes that have allowed certain chemicals to enter the food supply without prior notification to federal regulators. He also championed state-level measures to restrict the purchase of sodas and candies with federal food assistance benefits—a proposal that has drawn criticism from anti-hunger advocates and divided opinions among nutrition experts.
Kennedy acknowledged Means’s contributions via social media, commending his “relentless drive to reform our food system” and his role in challenging entrenched interests perpetuating childhood chronic illness. The White House also issued a statement of appreciation, with spokeswoman Allison Schuster calling Means’s work for the MAHA movement “fantastic.”
Despite these efforts, the pace of policy implementation has been slow. Plans to require comprehensive safety studies from food companies on ingredients commonly found in ultra-processed foods have faced delays within the White House. A summer effort to establish a formal definition for “ultra-processed foods” stalled at the last moment, according to previous reports. Critics like Vani Hari, an activist affiliated with the MAHA movement, have attributed these delays to “special interests and corporate capture” obstructing progress.
Government officials, however, have disputed claims that the food reform agenda is being “stalled or slow-walked.” Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House maintain that work continues in partnership with stakeholders and industry leaders to modernize the nation’s food system and update nutritional guidelines.
Means’s resignation marks the latest in a series of departures and stalled nominations linked to the MAHA initiative. His sister, Casey Means, was nominated to serve as surgeon general but withdrew earlier this year after her nomination faltered in the Senate. The administration also made leadership changes within HHS in February to address internal conflicts ahead of the midterm elections.
A recent survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that roughly 25% of Americans express support for the MAHA movement, while about three times as many share its concerns over food-related health issues. Among priorities identified by both supporters and non-supporters were regulating chemical additives in food, removing highly processed foods from school meals, and banning the herbicide glyphosate.