A new group, known as the MAHA Institute, is riding a wave of disdain toward big industry to enact change in federal policy.
Under the Make America Healthy Again banner, the coalition of leaders attacked the scientific and governmental establishments during its launch event Thursday. The group framed itself as staunchly anti-institution and anti-corporation—and anyone who stands in their way to enact the change they desire.
“Wow, we’ve come a long way,” said Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense—the nonprofit founded by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and known for its highly controversial vaccine-challenging views.
A pre-event announcement showed federal agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes for Health were invited to attend. Senator Roger Marshall, R-Kan., a member of the MAHA Caucus in Congress, was also invited but did not speak during the opening remarks.
Members of the press were invited to listen to opening speeches of the MAHA Institute launch event at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Calley Means
Calley Means is a special government employee and advisor to RFK Jr., and the co-founder of TrueMed, a company that helps patients buy food and supplements through a health or flexible savings account.
During his remarks, he spoke of the potential to fuse together the power of the MAGA and MAHA coalitions to “change the world.”
“I think we are on the verge and are seeing one of the most significant realignments in American politics in American history,” he said.
The MAHA Commission, enacted by Trump in February through executive order, will release a report May 22 to identify the root causes of America’s childhood chronic diseases.
Means described the political journey some organizations and people in the room experienced over recent years, noting some may not have voted for Trump before this election cycle. Since then, those same groups and individuals became Trump supporters and felt the 2024 election was the "most important vote of their life." Democratic leaders, he said, proved they cared more about pharmaceutical and food interests than about protecting children.
He praised the work of new government appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, in addition to "MAHA moms," independents and young people. Means recounted statistics about the rise in chronic disease in the U.S.—he partially blames environmental toxins and "franken-foods"—despite soaring healthcare expenditures.
“Democrats say, ‘Oh, no no. The only thing that’s standing between better us and better health is more Medicaid spending' … That’s just wrong,” he said.
This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a bill that would see the implementation of nationwide Medicaid work requirements. National estimates predict the country’s uninsurance rate will rise by more than 7 million people if the current proposal is signed into law.
Means was careful to note he’s not trying to create regulations to constrain these institutions. Instead, he sees innovative companies as the answer.
Calley is the brother of Casey Means, M.D., who was Trump’s most recent selection to become the nation’s top doctor as surgeon general. Casey is a New York Times best-selling author.
The Means siblings have generated a lot of scrutiny. They rose to fame quickly last year after appearing on highly-listened episodes of "The Tucker Carlson Show" and "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcasts. The two siblings align closely with principles held by RFK Jr.
Casey, who received her medical degree from Stanford, dropped out of a surgical residency at Oregon Health & Science University to begin a holistic health practice. She rails against the profit-driven healthcare system, which she converted from. A retired department chairman says she dropped out of school due to stress, reported the Los Angeles Times.
She is also the co-founder of Levels, a tech company tracking metabolic biomarkers through continuous glucose monitors.
Although she is an unorthodox selection for surgeon general, political operatives on the right are also wary of Casey and the new entrants vying for power in the MAHA world. Both RFK Jr.’s former running mate, Nicole Shanahan, and right wing influencer Laura Loomer expressed deep suspicion of the siblings’ true intentions on X.
Yesterday, Calley said he believes Trump has a “spiritual mandate” to fix healthcare.
Mark Gorton
Mark Gorton is co-president of the MAHA Institute, which was rebranded from a 501(c)(4) group. He is also co-founder of the RFK Jr.-aligned American Values political action committee, founder of the trading firm Tower Research Capital and was the founder of file-sharing company LimeWire.
Gorton has given at least $1 million to the Children’s Health Defense since 2021, according to CNBC. Securities and Exchange Commission filings show he has donated nearly $300,000 to the Kennedy Victory Fund in 2024 and has given to numerous state Libertarian parties.
He commended the power of thousands of MAHA supporters around the country but said the fight now turns to getting more true believers in positions of power.
“We also have a situation now where we have amazing leadership at the federal health agencies, but the number of actual, true MAHA supporters at the top of these agencies is maybe 75 people across an HHS that has 60,000 employees,” said Gorton. “And their job is unbelievably daunting because these bureaucracies are highly resistant to change.”
Tony Lyons
Tony Lyons is the group’s other co-president. He is also president of independent book publishing company Skyhorse Publishing.
He condemned traditional media for criticizing assertions made by RFK Jr. in the past and for failing the country’s youth.
“We're going to be an incubator for ideas, for policies that really impact the American people,” Lyons said of the MAHA Institute.
Noah Sofio
One representative, by the name of Noah Sofio, from the CMS, spoke next. He serves the agency as a special advisor, a spokesperson told Fierce Healthcare. It’s unclear whether he was speaking on behalf of the agency or in his personal capacity.
“For too long, our healthcare outcomes have not matched our greatness,” he said. “This considerable challenge has been well known to millions of American families across this nation for many years, and I want to thank MAHA for bringing this basic truth out from the living rooms of homes across this nation and into the spotlight, into the public arena.
“At CMS, we have a generational opportunity to meet this challenge head on,” he added.
Sofio lists himself as the founder of a stealth startup since August 2024 on his LinkedIn page. He also announced he founded Corgi Insurance out of the Y Combinator program. The company sports the tagline, “Building the first ever AI insurance company.”
Sofio was pictured in a post with CMS officials by the National Association of Community Health Centers. He has also worked as a private equity associate for The Carlyle Group and an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Other factions coalesce
There are many archetypes of individuals under the MAHA umbrella—likely with competing but largely overlapping visions—that spoke at the launch event.
One of those people is Marcus Thornton, founder of Feds for Freedom, a group that fought the Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate for government workers. Thornton is a former State Department employee who worked on Project 2025 and has supported efforts in dismantling U.S. Aid for International Development, reported Mother Jones.
Another is Holland of Children’s Defense Fund. Her group focuses on vaccines, pollutants and contaminants, she said.
Zen Honeycutt is the executive director of Moms Across America. Mothers represented by her group have children with autism, autoimmune issues, asthma and behavioral disorders. She said past administrations have “betrayed” the issues important to her organization and said the government has hidden information to protect children.
Other speakers included a mom and business owner that has worked to improve food standards in school cafeterias (Hilary Boynton), RFK Jr.’s cattle “ranch advisor” (Bryan Mussard), a speechwriter and advisor for RFK Jr. (Charles Eisenstein) and a former FDA medical officer running a “psychiatric deprescribing practice” called TaperClinic (Josef Witt-Doerring).
Many spoke of their disillusionment with the medical system and the Democratic party. They talked in lofty terms, hoping to unify the country around their message.
“By being at these institutions, I was able to see just how poorly we are actually practicing mental health,” said Witt-Doerring.
Editor's Note: A characterization of one speaker's past political leanings has been modified and corrected.