On February 13, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14212: Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, to improve the health of Americans, particularly children.
This new EO contains provisions that complement the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children’s establishing text, EO 13045: Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. Both EOs seek to address environmental factors contributing to chronic diseases and other health impacts in children.
EO 14212 states: “To fully address the growing health crisis in America, we must re-direct our national focus, in the public and private sectors, toward understanding and drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease.”
EO 13045 directs that “each Federal agency: shall make it a high priority to identify and assess environmental health risks and safety risks that may disproportionately affect children; and shall ensure that its policies, programs, activities, and standards address disproportionate risks to children that result from environmental health risks or safety risks.”
Both EOs recognize the need to address specific children’s health concerns including asthma and chemical exposures. The Task Force addresses these topics primarily through the work of its Asthma and Chemical Exposures subcommittees.
Both EOs also establish interagency structures to leverage the expertise of the federal government to address children’s health through a focus on primary prevention. The President’s Task Force structure comprises of a Steering Committee and topical Subcommittees whose members represent relevant federal agencies. The Make America Healthy Again Commission will work through its Chair, Executive Director, and participating federal agencies.
Further underscoring opportunities for collaboration, EO 14212 references the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, which also was established under EO 13045 . The Forum membership comprises 23 Federal agencies and works to enhance and improve consistency in the collection and reporting of Federal data on children and families.
While EO 14212 takes a broader approach to addressing adverse health outcomes in children, the environmental health and safety focus of EO 13045 provides opportunity for highly complementary work to meet the President’s goal of improving the health of American children.
Read the Executive Orders:
E.O. 14212 Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission
E.O. 13045 Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks
