MAHA Brings Ben Carson On to Be Top USDA Nutrition Advisor

Carson will serve as the nation’s nutrition advisor within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency announced on Wednesday.
“Today, too many Americans are suffering from the effects of poor nutrition,” Carson said in a press release. “ Through common-sense policymaking, we have an opportunity to give our most vulnerable families the tools they need to flourish.”
Carson will primarily advise both President Donald Trump and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on nutrition policy, rural healthcare and housing accessibility. The latter leverages Carson’s previous experience serving in the Trump administration.
For the most part, Carson’s beliefs have been in line with the Trump administration–with the exception of his latest interest in wanting to own a solar farm. In June, Carson inked a deal with the Boston-based solar company Nexamp to convert 17 acres of his Maryland property into a solar farm. (Maybe that explains why he’s joining the Department of Agriculture and not the Department of Energy.)
In his new role, Carson will help manage core federal benefit programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), which helps low-income families buy food. (In an April interview on NewsNation, Carson said that junk food has no place in SNAP benefits.)
Carson will also join the Make America Healthy Again Commission, a task force of sorts created by an executive order earlier this year that will critically examine everything from weight-loss drugs and stimulants to chemicals and “over-utilization of medication.” The Commission is led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
After leaving the Trump administration, Carson started a political action committee called Think BIG and also founded the American Cornerstone Institute, a conservative nonprofit. In May, he was named to the board of The Hill Institute at West Texas A&M University, which aims to promote “panhandle values,” a nod to traditional conservative beliefs.
Trump also added Carson to the Religious Liberty Commission, which was propped up by a May executive order, and helps the White House weigh in on policies tied to religious freedom.