Make America Healthy Again Issues Report: MAKING OUR CHILDREN HEALTHY AGAIN

On May 22, the Trump Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its long-anticipated assessment report on Making Our Children Healthy Again. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the MAHA Commission, comprised of leaders from key federal health, agricultural, and economic agencies to reduce the burden of chronic disease among U.S. youth. The report offers the first glimpse into the Administration’s health priorities, highlighting specific concerns such as increased rates of childhood chronic illness and cancer incidence, the severity of the youth mental health crisis, the prevalence of childhood allergies and autoimmune disorders, and higher rates of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorders. The report points to four main causes of this phenomenon:

• Ultra-processed foods,
• Exposure to environmental chemicals,
• Pervasive use of technology, and
• The “overmedication of our children.”

Notably, the report highlights that the Commission will continue working to develop an official strategy to build upon these recommendations by August 2025


More Detail on the President's 2026 Budget Request

The White House released more details on the FY 2026 budget request. The NIFA portion begins on page 78. Of greatest interest to the Cooperative Extension world are the following reductions:

• Smith-Lever 3(b&c) - FY 2026 proposal $175 million, down from $325 million
• 1890s Extension - FY 2026 proposal $62 million, down from $72 million
• Expanded Food and Nutrition Program - FY 2026 proposal $48 million, down from $70 million

The proposal does not appear to fund the Hatch program at all, significantly reduces McIntire Stennis Forestry Research, and has numerous other reductions. Initial analysis by Lewis-Burke casts doubt that Congress will go along with these types of cuts, but advocacy efforts should be made to preserve the capacity programs. 

New ASAP Requirement

NIFA grantees using the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system should be aware of a new requirement. Effective May 19, 2025, the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service requires recipient organizations to include a justification for each payment. This field is mandatory and will be part of the first step in the payment request process. The requirement aims to improve transparency and accountability in the federal payment process.

Treasury Fiscal Service has a presentation to learn more about this new feature and the steps needed to process payments. There is also a video illustrating the new feature and its functionality. Additionally, Fiscal Service will hold webinars to assist grantees with this new requirement.

If you are interested in attending an upcoming ASAP webinar, find more information on their website. Contact the Fiscal Service ASAP Production Support at (855) 868-0151 (option 2, option 3) or at asaphelpdesk@fiscal.treasury.gov if you have questions. You can also reach out to our Financial Management ASAP Team if you have questions at ASAPCustomerService@usda.gov.