RFK Jr slammed for breastfeeding comments amid MAHA push against infant formula
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's remarks sparked controversy as he talked about breastfeeding being better than infant formula.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in his recent appearance at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, asserted that no infant formula, regardless of how advanced it was, could match the nutritional quality of natural breast milk.

Read more: CDC reverses its stance; says ‘Vaccines don't cause autism' isn't evidence-based
He said, “All of the ingenuity of corporate America … has not produced an infant formula that is superior in nutrition … to the infant formula that God made… which is … breast milk.”
Comments have flowed in from parents and breastfeeding mothers slamming his stance in his efforts to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), pushing for stricter scrutiny of baby formula.
Host of a Democratic podcast, The Quest Show, wrote, “RFK, Jr. talking about breastfeeding is just fucking gross. Make it stop. #DemsUnited”
Other users on X were of the opinion that if RFK believed breastmilk was the best, he should go forward with the long-awaited Operation Stork Speed and make a healthy environment for breastfeeding mothers.
A doctor on X posted a video saying, “RFK Jr. has thoughts about breastfeeding. I have thoughts about paid parental leave.”
Another Women's Rights page on X posted the clip of RFK speaking about the advantages of breast milk and writes, “This clip is titled: ‘Man who has never breastfed shames mothers who can’t’.”
Read more: Olivia Nuzzi compares RFK Jr to Rocky in ‘strategy memo’ released by Ryan Lizza
RFK Jr's initiative through Operation Stork Speed.
A joint project between the HHS and FDA, Operation Stork Speed is aimed to help mothers provide good-quality and safe baby formula for their infants.
After its announcement in April, there has not been any significant progress under the program.
Social media users have called out the inactivity and lack of support for mothers while expecting them to breastfeed at the same time. A user, on Threads, wrote, “RFK Jr.: Breastfeed as long as possible. Corporate America: Get back to work as soon as possible. Moms and birthing humans of America: Would a single ounce of support be possible?”
Anna Matson, who claims to be an investigative journalist, wrote on X, “One of RFK Jr’s first initiatives as HHS Secretary was to change the infant formula industry through Operation Stork Speed. Eight months in, there has been no update on the progress.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORShirin GuptaShirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

E-Paper

