Vice President JD Vance and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are slated to speak Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the second Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit in Washington, D.C. The event, organized by allies of Kennedy, brings together administration officials, corporate executives, and celebrities to discuss the movement's regulatory agenda and health policy goals. The summit is scheduled to conclude with a fireside chat between Vance and Kennedy focused on the administration's accomplishments and future health priorities.
The MAHA movement has focused on issues including the reduction of ultra-processed foods, the removal of artificial dyes, and changes to food safety regulations. Since Kennedy took office at HHS in January 2025, the agency has undergone changes including the laying off of thousands of workers and the remaking of certain vaccine guidelines. The summit occurs ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, with organizers encouraging supporters to vote for Republican candidates to protect the MAHA agenda from potential congressional oversight.
Detailing the summit's activities, organizers reported that panels feature speakers such as former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who was scheduled to discuss the "MAHA athlete" following his appearance in a Super Bowl ad promoting "real food." Other scheduled speakers included Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz. The event is sponsored by several corporations, including Walmart, Anthropic, OpenAI, and health-tech companies like Noom and Hims & Hers.
The movement's impact is further reflected in the administration's personnel and budgetary decisions. HHS Secretary Kennedy has overseen the layoff of thousands of agency employees since January 2025, a move that affects federal workers and the operational capacity of health agencies. Furthermore, the inclusion of AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic as sponsors signals a potential shift in how healthcare data and prevention strategies are managed. For Medicaid enrollees and Medicare recipients, the reforms discussed by Administrator Oz regarding CMS could lead to changes in how benefits are administered or how chronic diseases are tracked through wearable technology.
The summit sets a precedent for how health advocates and business leaders interact with federal regulatory agencies. By inviting corporate sponsors to participate in panels alongside the officials who regulate them, the organizers have established a model where private sector funding supports the platform for public policy discussion. The effects on public health standards will depend on the outcome of the November 2026 midterm elections, which will determine if the MAHA agenda continues with administration autonomy or faces scrutiny from Congress. Following the summit, the next major legal event related to a speaker involves comedian Russell Brand, who is scheduled to go to trial in the United Kingdom next month on charges of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.