Rep. Cody Maynard
This week, I had the opportunity to attend the signing of a bold executive order to Make Oklahoma Healthy Again (MOHA), alongside U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Governor Kevin Stitt.
This initiative will save lives—and save taxpayer dollars.
A key part of the executive order brings healthy changes to the Oklahoma Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families buy food. The order removes sugary drinks and candy from the list of items that may be purchased with state SNAP benefits.
Governor Stitt emphasized that we must promote healthier eating habits among SNAP recipients and ensure that benefits go further—helping families make better choices without increasing spending.
The order also instructs state agencies that provide meals—such as school lunch programs and correctional facilities—to discontinue the use of artificial dyes. Secretary Kennedy noted that studies show providing healthier food can reduce inmate violence by up to 38%, reducing taxpayer-funded costs related to security and medical care.
He also spoke about the urgent need to reduce chronic disease through cleaner living. Oklahoma currently ranks 47th in health outcomes. He warned that unhealthy food is harming not only our physical health but our mental health as well.
These are common-sense reforms. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fuel the epidemics of diabetes, obesity, and chronic disease that have become overwhelmingly prevalent over the past 60 years. This isn’t just a health issue—it’s a financial one. Oklahomans are footing the bill for the long-term costs of poor nutrition, and this executive order starts to reverse that trend.
Importantly, this is not a top-down federal mandate. This executive order reflects Oklahoma values: empowering families, removing wasteful spending, and leading the nation in common-sense reform—not waiting on Washington. It’s an example of how local leadership can solve real problems without expanding bureaucracy.
The order also establishes a MOHA advisory council to study and recommend additional reforms focused on fitness, nutrition, and overall wellness.
This is about encouraging better health, promoting personal responsibility, and using public dollars wisely.
Secretary Kennedy shared that when he was a boy in the 1960s, only 3% of U.S. children had a chronic disease. Today, that number has soared to 60%. In that same period, the obesity rate has climbed from 3% to around 50%, and juvenile diabetes has increased from less than 1% to approximately 38%.
Meanwhile, autism diagnoses have jumped from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 31, and fertility rates among young adults are plummeting.
This trend is unsustainable—not just because of the harm to Oklahomans’ health, but also because of the skyrocketing cost of treatment, which now reaches into the trillions of dollars.
It’s clear that Oklahoma must take a new path. I’m proud to support this initiative as a meaningful step toward improving the health of our state. Still, as Secretary Kennedy rightly pointed out, government alone cannot fix this. Real and lasting change begins with individuals and families choosing to live healthier lives.
We can—and should—set boundaries on how public dollars are spent and ensure our food and water are safe. No executive order, however, can replace personal responsibility. This initiative sends the right message: we must reject policies and practices that harm our health and embrace a culture of wellness. I believe Oklahomans are ready to lead that charge. Together, we can build a future where our children are stronger, our communities are healthier, and our tax dollars are spent more wisely.
