WASHINGTON — Several prominent activists in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement are urging President Donald Trump to fire Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, over his decisions to loosen restrictions on harmful chemicals.

In a petition circulated on social media, the activists wrote that Zeldin “has prioritized the interests of chemical corporations over the well-being of American families and children.”

The petition was a remarkable rebuke of the EPA chief from allies of another Cabinet member, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary and the chief architect of the MAHA movement. It underscored growing tensions within Trump’s political base over the chemicals in the nation’s air, water and food supply.

As of early Friday afternoon, more than 2,800 people had signed the petition. The organizers included Vani Hari, a MAHA influencer who is known as the Food Babe to her 2.3 million Instagram followers, and Alex Clark, the host of a health and wellness podcast popular among conservatives.

Asked about the petition, EPA spokesperson Mike Bastasch said in an email, “Administrator Zeldin has been working closely with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to implement policies to Make America Healthy Again.” He said that Zeldin had taken many steps to improve people’s health, such as signing an agreement with Mexico to end the flow of raw sewage into the Tijuana River.

In an emailed statement, Kennedy said Zeldin “has proven himself a steadfast partner in our mission to Make America Healthy Again. Together, we’re driving the MAHA Strategy forward with force — advancing major initiatives on PFAS, microplastics, and water quality to protect the health and future of every American.”

Stefanie Spear, Kennedy’s principal deputy chief of staff, praised Zeldin’s announcement in April that the EPA would reexamine research on the potential health risks of fluoride in water. Kennedy has called on states to ban fluoride from drinking water. Some studies suggest that excess exposure to fluoride — at levels twice the amount recommended by the federal government — could harm infants. But experts consider fluoridation essential to preventing tooth decay and one of the most important public health practices in the country.

Kennedy has been a vocal critic of pesticides and other chemicals, saying they are poisoning Americans and contributing to a rise in chronic diseases. Zeldin has taken a different approach at the EPA, which Trump has stocked with officials who previously served as lawyers and lobbyists for the chemical industry.

Last month, the EPA approved the use of two pesticides that meet the internationally recognized definition for “forever chemicals,” which are also known as PFAS and are linked to serious health risks.

Bastasch said that his agency had not classified the two chemicals as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, under both the Biden and Trump administrations. He said the pesticides did not pose any health risks when used as intended.

“The Trump EPA is 100% committed to combating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination,” Bastasch said, adding that Zeldin was “a staunch advocate for protecting Americans from contaminated drinking water.”

In July, the EPA proposed allowing the use of the contentious herbicide dicamba on some cotton and soybean crops. And in May, the agency said it would delay deadlines for water utilities to limit two types of PFAS present in the tap water of millions of Americans.

“If our enemies were to write a plan on how to poison Americans and prevent us from growing our own food, this would be it,” said Zen Honeycutt, the founder and executive director of Moms Across America, a group closely linked to the MAHA movement.

“Trump made a promise to the American people to address pesticides and reduce childhood chronic illnesses,” Honeycutt added. “Lee Zeldin is making a liar out of him.”

Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA influencer who goes by The Glyphosate Girl on social media, said she was initially optimistic that the Trump administration would crack down on PFAS in drinking water, since Kennedy had crusaded for clean water as the president of environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance.

Instead, the EPA has given water utilities an additional two years, until 2031, to comply with a Biden administration rule limiting two types of PFAS present in drinking water systems. The agency also plans to rescind Biden-era limits on four other related chemicals found in tap water.

Known as forever chemicals because they are virtually indestructible, PFAS are a class of thousands of chemicals used in everyday products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing and stain-resistant carpets. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to decreased fertility in women, developmental delays in children and increased risk of some cancers, according to the EPA.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Maxine Joselow/Eric Lee
c. 2025 The New York Times Company