RFK Jr., HUD Secretary Visit Mid-Michigan to Promote Trump Policies
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and HUD Secretary Scott Turner joined Rep. Tom Barrett at a Michigan Farm Bureau event to champion Trump administration health and housing policies.
LANSING, MICHIGAN — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner visited the Lansing area on Tuesday to promote the Trump administration’s policy agenda alongside U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, a Republican from Charlotte.
The visits came one day after Barrett hosted U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Lansing, making it a two-day sweep of cabinet-level appearances in mid-Michigan tied to the America First Policy Institute.
Kennedy Focuses on Food and Nutrition at Farm Event
Kennedy sat down with Barrett at Country Mill Farm for a panel discussion with members of the Michigan Farm Bureau. The event was hosted by the America First Policy Institute and centered on Kennedy’s food-as-medicine philosophy.
Kennedy spoke out against ultraprocessed foods, urged consumers to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables, and highlighted the Trump administration’s push to incorporate nutrition training into medical school curricula.
“If it comes in a package, you probably shouldn’t be eating it, particularly if it looks like it belongs in the package and that it will last many hundreds of years in that package. Those are not things you should be putting in your body,” Kennedy said. “And then the other thing I would say is, you know, patronize local farms, buy local produce, go to the farmers market, encourage your school to your kids’ schools to develop programs where they can get fresh apples and fresh cherries and buy them directly from the farmers, because that’s what’s going to keep farms like this in production and in profit.”
Disruption Over Medicaid Cuts and Health Care Costs
Near the end of the Country Mill Farm discussion, two individuals were escorted out by security after they challenged Kennedy on Medicaid cuts and the high cost of health insurance, according to Michigan Advance reporting.
The disruption highlighted ongoing public tensions over federal health care policy as the Trump administration pursues changes to Medicaid and other programs under Kennedy’s leadership at HHS.
Turner Joins Barrett for HUD Appearance
HUD Secretary Scott Turner also appeared alongside Barrett during the Tuesday visits to the Lansing area. The back-to-back cabinet stops reflect a broader effort by the Trump administration to build support for its policies in competitive congressional districts in Michigan, according to Michigan Advance.
Barrett represents Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which includes the Charlotte area and surrounding mid-Michigan communities.
