Trump administration downplays alcohol risks, hindering efforts to curb drinking-related harms

A STAT investigation reported that the Trump administration has downplayed the health risks of alcohol and has taken steps that obstruct research into drinking-related harms.

Although alcohol is responsible for more deaths in the United States each year than infectious diseases and opioids combined, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and its leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have largely sidestepped the issue.

The report says the administration’s approach includes minimizing warnings and actively derailing efforts to better understand and prevent the harms caused by excessive drinking.

The article contrasts this lax stance with recent scrutiny of other health concerns such as seed oils, sugary drinks, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, highlighting alcohol as a missed target.