Memorandum
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- Caroline Mercer via Fast Company
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- Politics·4 min to read
- Re
Kennedy's MAHA Summit Draws Corporate Sponsors Seeking Federal Influence
ReKennedy's MAHA Summit Draws Corporate Sponsors Seeking Federal Influence
The second annual MAHA Summit, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., offered corporate sponsors access to federal officials for up to $300,000, raising concerns about corporate capture of the public health movement.
The second annual MAHA Summit, the flagship event of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s «Make America Healthy Again» movement, has drawn scrutiny for offering corporations direct access to federal officials in exchange for sponsorship fees of up to $300,000, according to a Bloomberg report. The event, held this week, featured Vice President JD Vance, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and a roster of wellness influencers and tech executives, while conspicuously avoiding discussion of the resurgence of measles under Kennedy's watch.
The sponsorship packages, circulated by the nonprofit MAHA Center, offered top-tier donors speaking slots with input into panel topics, as well as a private dinner for 30 guests with Kennedy and Oz. Companies that paid for access include OpenAI, Anthropic, Hims & Hers, and Walmart. The inclusion of Walmart is particularly notable, as the retailer is the largest seller of ultraprocessed foods in the United States, a category Kennedy's HHS has tried and failed to regulate. The arrangement echoes a similar controversy earlier this year when Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered sponsorship opportunities for his reality TV show, with sponsors including Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, and Shell — all entities regulated by his department.
Several corporate sponsors of the MAHA Summit are actively seeking government approvals, including psychedelic drug makers Compass Pathways, Definium Therapeutics, and Helus Pharma. The dynamic is at odds with the movement's stated origins: MAHA formed partly in response to the alleged corporate capture of the Food and Drug Administration, a longstanding suspicion that food and pharmaceutical companies held too much sway over regulators meant to protect consumers. Attendees at last year's inaugural summit reportedly speculated about which companies had sponsored the conference and whether they had skewed the agenda. This year, those concerns reached a higher pitch.
The summit also showcased the movement's conspiratorial bent. One panel moderator framed Kennedy as a target of powerful interests, saying, «They're going after Bobby Kennedy because they say he's dangerous, and we know what he's a danger to… The people, the companies, the deep-state actors who are roadblocks to real progress.» Most mainstream press outlets were denied credentials to cover the event, while the Trump-friendly network Newsmax was granted access. A Newsmax reporter noted on social media that there were «barely any overweight, fat people in attendance.»
Among the speakers were Bryan Johnson, who offered «biological age testing» to attendees, and chiropractor Eric Berg, branded «The Knowledge Doc.» A panel was moderated by Tony Lyons, owner of Skyhorse Publishing, which has released titles such as «The Case Against Masks» by Dr. Judy Mikovits and «The Real Anthony Fauci» by Kennedy himself. Kennedy has received $4 million in book advances from Skyhorse in recent years. Kennedy's wife, former «Curb Your Enthusiasm» actress Cheryl Hines, appeared at the summit to announce a slate of upcoming MAHA events, including a retreat, symposiums, and a music festival called «Healthy Again.» Shortly afterward, on Fox News, Kennedy cited Hines's friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell as the reason he flew aboard Jeffrey Epstein's jet multiple times.
The event underscores the paradox of Kennedy's position: a vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist now leading the nation's public health apparatus, while his movement's supporters — much like MAGA fans — are beginning to feel betrayed by the corporate co-opting of their cause. The MAHA Summit, rather than a celebration of health reform, has become a case study in the blurring of corporate and governmental influence.
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