Sunflower State News

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas appeared on Newsmax’s Wake Up America to discuss the upcoming Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission report, Texas’s redistricting dispute, and border security under the Trump administration.

Marshall highlighted the importance of healthy eating as a key focus of the MAHA initiative. “I asked my kids, what’s the latest greatest diet? And they said, Dad, it’s what you grew up on. I grew up surrounded by family farms, eating fresh fruit and vegetables out of the garden. Right now, all those fruits and vegetables are in season, as they say, and they just melt in your mouth. I think that, you know, the whole emphasis of MAHA is that food is medicine, that if you have healthy food, you’re going to have healthy people. And there’s nothing healthier than fresh out of the farmer’s garden. Maybe start your own garden as well. I would challenge all your listeners to not open a box today. Stay away from the ultra-processed foods. Eat fresh, if you have to, frozen is second best.”

Regarding progress on the MAHA commission report itself, Marshall noted its complexity but pointed to advancements in agriculture that support health goals: “Well, we got to get the report right, and if they’re not ready, they’re not ready. It’s a very complicated subject. I can just tell you a couple of points I think that are interesting. I think, number one, you know, the emphasis is that Food is Medicine. How do we get healthy food? From the agriculture perspective, I just want to brag on my farmers that we are growing more with less, that the early adapters are using 60% less fertilizers, 60% less pesticides, and we’re decreasing the drift from those fields by 90%. So we’re trying to decrease the amount of fertilizers and pesticides [that] end up reaching the water systems as well.

“So our farmers and ranchers are embracing this… First of all, we’re parents, we’re grandparents. We want our children to be healthy. We want our grandchildren to be healthy as well. So I think that the first part of the MAHA report is going to be about… what healthier food looks like, what it looks like, throwing away that box food that I mentioned. And then exercise, some form of exercise every day, introducing them to the Presidential Fitness Test. Again by the way I'm going to work on a congressional fitness test as well. So maybe we'll start there.”

On Texas's ongoing redistricting conflict—a topic attracting national attention—Marshall described gerrymandering as an issue with deep historical roots across both major parties: “Well this is the Democrats,the pot calling kettle black for decades for probably over a century now Gerrymandering has been occurring.It started in Massachusetts in 1812 and continued throughout this century as well.California took away 12 Republican seats through Gerrymandering earlier around 2008,I believe as well.So it's been going on for centuries.

“Look Texas has changed a lot in last two decades as well.Many people are leaving blue states to come to red states where your constitutional rights are indeed protected…the Constitution gives Texas right do this.The Supreme Court has confirmed right in past.So I'm going stay out it.I'm going focus making America healthy.”

When asked about President Trump’s most significant achievement so far during his current term Marshall pointed directly at border security.“Oh,it’s border.That was number one issue President campaigned on,securing border.Within matter weeks President has secured border so our families safer than were January this year.Fentanyl poisoning is going down.Drug-related crime is going down as well across country.So it’s that our families are safe and secure.The price gasoline coming down big deal as well.”