As RFK Jr. defends cuts to public health, experts warn of devastating effects that could haunt Americans for decades

The chaotic first few months of Donald Trump’s second U.S. presidency have produced much more heat than light, with Trump alternately invoking and rescinding massive tariffs, issuing sweeping executive orders that are quickly thrown into court challenges, and attempting to use a 45-year-old law to gut labor unions that represent federal workers.

But while the ultimate fate of those actions is unknown, there is one area to which experts say Trump’s administration unquestionably has already done real damage: public health.