We’ve all heard the Trump administration’s promise to make our children healthy again.

At the Center for Science in the Public Interest, we’re doing everything we can to make sure the administration’s deeds match its words. Here’s a look at two worrying stories we’re tracking: 

Botulism outbreak

As of late December, an outbreak of botulism linked to contaminated ByHeart infant formula had sent 51 babies in 19 states to the hospital.

The illness causes poor feeding, muscle weakness, and difficulty swallowing, and if not treated, can lead to life-threatening breathing trouble.

The botulism outbreak exposes dangerous deficiencies in our food safety inspection and public health systems, which should protect the most-vulnerable.

In a December letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy and officials at the FDA and CDC, we and our partners at the Safe Food Coalition pushed for stronger formula inspections and rules.

We urged the FDA to fill the 40 percent of formula inspector positions that were vacant, to adequately fund its inspector training program, and to increase inspection of formula facilities.

Hepatitis B vaccine

In 1991, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all babies receive the hepatitis B vaccine shortly after birth, plus additional doses during their first year of life. For almost as long, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations have recommended the same.

Since then, we’ve virtually stopped the spread of hepatitis B in the United States and saved roughly 100,000 lives.

And although no credible studies have turned up serious safety concerns with the vaccine, in December, ACIP voted to overturn the longstanding, proven approach in favor of a recommendation to vaccinate only newborns of mothers who test positive for the virus or haven’t been tested for it.

(Refresher: Sec. Kennedy handpicked ACIP’s current members, who include vaccine critics who lack the expertise to evaluate scientific evidence.)

Independent analyses have concluded that ACIP’s new recommendation will result in more children becoming infected with hepatitis B, which can cause severe liver damage.

The administration’s recent action on a safe vaccine—and inaction on unsafe infant formula—makes one thing clear: We’re not making our children healthy again...or even keeping them healthy.