The MAHA Coalition Is Dysfunctional and Held Together Only by Pandemic Resentment
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-wallace-wells. "Opinion | Kennedy’s MAHA Coalition Is a Mess - The New York Times." February 18, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
The author argues that the MAHA health coalition running federal agencies is a mess that's making bad decisions based on anger about COVID policies rather than good science. They point to flip-flopping on vaccine approvals and declining public trust as evidence that this group can't govern effectively.
Conclusion
The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) coalition is a dysfunctional governing coalition that lacks coherent principles and is held together primarily by pandemic resentment rather than any genuine reform agenda
Premises
- The FDA's arbitrary rejection and subsequent reversal of Moderna's flu vaccine approval demonstrates erratic and unreliable decision-making
- Public trust in the CDC has declined from 63% to 47% under MAHA leadership, showing their failure to restore confidence
- The coalition contains ideologically contradictory members with opposing views on drug regulation, scientific evidence standards, and medical approaches
- MAHA leaders like Vinay Prasad make decisions based on pandemic grievances rather than scientific merit, as evidenced by targeting mRNA technology specifically
- The administration has systematically cut pandemic preparedness funding and halted promising mRNA research projects worth hundreds of millions
- High-profile personnel departures and nomination delays indicate internal instability and lack of unified direction
Assumptions
- Consistent regulatory standards are essential for effective public health governance
- Scientific merit should be the primary basis for medical and regulatory decisions
- Public trust in health institutions is measurable and important for effective governance
- A governing coalition needs shared positive vision beyond opposition to previous policies
- Past pandemic policies were generally appropriate and the backlash against them is misguided