U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before a budget request hearing for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The Washington Post's editorial board is warning Americans that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to dictate what hospitals can serve patients is a sign of dangers to come.
In a blistering editorial published Sunday, the board accused Kennedy of "using the coercive power of government to substitute his judgment" for that of doctors and patients, and called the crackdown "a warning to anyone who supports a full government takeover of health care."
Kennedy's team is threatening to cut off federal funding for hospitals that serve items with too much added sugar, including Jell-O, fruit juice, Cheerios, and even Ensure protein shakes, the board wrote. The HHS guidance, issued this spring, urges hospitals to revise inpatient meal plans to align with new federal dietary guidelines.
"The leader of the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement thinks he knows better than medical providers and patients what’s best for them, and he’s using the coercive power of government to substitute his judgment for theirs," the board railed.
Kennedy himself has called the rules "essentially a federal mandate," even as the board noted the order is "legally dubious."
Kennedy confidant Calley Means has gone further, urging the public to rat out non-compliant hospitals through a federal complaint system intended for serious medical issues. Some physicians have likened it to a "snitch line" for serving soda.
The Post argued the crackdown contradicts the "Make America Healthy Again" promise of empowering individuals.
"Offering someone Jell-O is not medical malpractice," the board wrote, slamming the crusade as government overreach.