MAHA PAC Pledges $1M for Trump‑Backed Letlow as RFK Jr.–Linked Group Turns on Sen. Cassidy
MAHA PAC, a group with ties to RFK Jr., has pledged $1 million to support Rep. Julia Letlow’s expected primary challenge to Sen. Bill Cassidy, a move that comes alongside President Trump’s endorsement of a possible challenger. The shift — after Cassidy once backed Kennedy — reflects a rupture over vaccine policy and has exposed intra‑party divisions, with Senate GOP leader John Thune urging Trump privately to stick with Cassidy.
📌 Key Facts
- MAHA PAC, a group with close ties to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly pledged $1 million to support Rep. Julia Letlow’s expected Republican primary challenge to Sen. Bill Cassidy.
- MAHA PAC co‑founder Tony Lyons framed the pledge as backing former President Trump’s effort to “end the chronic disease epidemic” and called Letlow a “tireless champion for Louisiana families.”
- The MAHA PAC pledge signals a turn against Sen. Cassidy, who had been the key vote for Kennedy’s nomination after Kennedy promised to maintain the CDC advisory panel’s recommendations.
- Cassidy, a pro‑vaccine physician, has criticized Kennedy for cutting childhood vaccine recommendations, firing all 17 members of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee, and bypassing that panel to impose a new European‑style childhood schedule — developments that have deteriorated their relationship.
- Senate GOP leader John Thune privately urged Trump to stick with Cassidy, highlighting intra‑party divisions over the primary challenge.
📊 Relevant Data
The US childhood vaccine schedule was reduced from recommending vaccines against 17 diseases to 11 under HHS Secretary RFK Jr. in January 2026, removing universal recommendations for vaccines against rotavirus, hepatitis A, HPV, influenza, pneumococcal disease, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
HHS announces unprecedented overhaul of US childhood vaccine schedule — CIDRAP
In 2023, childhood vaccination rates in the US varied by race/ethnicity, with 75.5% of non-Hispanic White children fully vaccinated, compared to 70.1% of non-Hispanic Black children, 68.4% of Hispanic children, and 74.2% of Asian children.
Childhood Vaccinations: Rates Vary By State, Ethnicity, Race — SHADAC
In the US, Black adults have higher rates of chronic conditions such as hypertension (42% vs. 28% for White adults), diabetes (13% vs. 8%), and obesity (49% vs. 42%) as of 2023-2025 data.
Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity — KFF
Hispanic people in the US have a 1.5 times higher rate of diagnosed diabetes compared to non-Hispanic White people, with prevalence at 12.5% vs. 7.5% in 2023 data.
Advancing Racial Equity in U.S. Health Care — Commonwealth Fund
A 2024 survey in Louisiana found that vaccine hesitancy was higher among Black residents, with 25% expressing doubts about vaccine safety compared to 15% of White residents.
VAX UP (2023-2024) — Louisiana Center for Health Innovation
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- MAHA PAC, a group with close ties to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly pledged $1 million to support Rep. Julia Letlow’s expected primary challenge to Sen. Bill Cassidy.
- MAHA PAC co‑founder Tony Lyons framed the move as backing Trump’s effort to 'end the chronic disease epidemic' and called Letlow a 'tireless champion for Louisiana families.'
- The article details the deterioration of the Cassidy–Kennedy relationship: Cassidy, a pro‑vaccine physician, has blasted RFK Jr. for cutting childhood vaccine recommendations, firing all 17 members of CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee, and then bypassing that panel to impose a new European‑style childhood schedule.
- It confirms Cassidy’s earlier rationale for supporting Kennedy’s nomination — that Kennedy promised to maintain the CDC advisory panel’s recommendations — and notes those assurances were quickly broken.
- Senate GOP leader John Thune had urged Trump privately to stick with Cassidy, underscoring intra‑party divisions over the primary.