Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is joining the Agriculture Department as a nutrition, healthcare and housing adviser with a focus on helping the Trump administration implement its Make America Healthy Again agenda.
The retired neurosurgeon will lead USDA’s efforts to revamp Americans’ diets, working closely with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., USDA said in an announcement obtained by POLITICO.
Carson will step into the new role as USDA takes a more active role in the MAHA movement. The department has authorized state-level initiatives to bar participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from using their benefits to buy junk food. It will also be responsible for updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans due this year, a crucial way for federal officials to influence consumers’ perceptions of what a healthy diet looks like.
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Carson will be the department’s “chief spokesperson” on nutrition, rural healthcare and housing, according to the announcement.
Trump also tapped Carson earlier this year to serve as vice chair of his presidential commission on religious liberty.
