Power

‘Wellness Farms’ Could Soon Be Coming to a Town Near You

And no, this isn’t a real-life version of Minecraft or FarmVille—it’s eugenics at work.

Boom! Lawyered logo, Imani Gandy, Jessica Mason Pieklo, and gardening tools in the background. There are clay pots, plants, and little shovels. Three skulls sit planted in one of the pots.
U.S. health care might be a mess and we could all benefit from better access to affordable produce, but "wellness farms" are not the answer. Cage Rivera/Rewire News Group

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed and sworn in as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And almost immediately, Trump fired off another executive order establishing a “Make America Great Again” commission. The group, made up of leadership from multiple federal agencies, was tasked with making healthy food more affordable and fighting chronic disease. Sounds reasonable, right?

Wrong.

This week, Jess and Imani dig into the biggest changes that could be worming their way into U.S. public health infrastructure with Kennedy at the helm. The duo break down how Trump and Kennedy’s early actions could mark a dark shift towards state institutionalization of people who don’t bend to its will, and what it could mean for the millions of Americans already struggling to access care.

Rewire News Group is a nonprofit media organization, which means that episodes like this one are only made possible with the support of listeners like you! If you can, please join our team by donating here.

And sign up for The Fallout, a weekly newsletter written by Jess that’s exclusively dedicated to covering every aspect of this unprecedented moment.