#maha

Alyssa Tirrell at MMFA:

On Monday, Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt promoted a public call about data centers, referring to it as “probably one of the most important” calls “ that we have ever had.” Honeycutt's post underscored what seems to be an increase in concern over data centers among MAHA and wellness advocates and signaled another potential fracture point between President Donald Trump and the MAHA faction of his coalition.  According to Pew Research Center, the U.S. has “more than 3,000 operational data centers,” with 1,500 new centers in development. The data center boom, driven by investment in artificial intelligence, has raised concerns about water and energy use in communities across the country.   The Trump administration has supported the rapid expansion of data centers and claimed that opposition is part of a “propaganda war that's geotargeted." In light of backlash against data center construction — a Gallup poll from last month reported that 7 in 10 Americans oppose local construction of AI data centers — Trump has taken measures to try to shield voters from energy impacts, including announcing a pledge by tech companies to cover energy costs and using emergency powers to boost coal production. 

In her June 8 video, Honeycutt seemingly indicated increasing apprehension about data centers within the MAHA space while promoting the conference call (known as a “Moms Connect Call”), saying, “If you are anything like me, my feed right now is getting loaded with data center posts.”  She continued, “If you haven't heard, Trump has invested a whole boatload of money into the expansion of coal because he wants coal to be the power source for data centers,” adding, “Forty-two percent of Americans live near a data center that has already been built or is being planned to be built.” 

Honeycutt made her opposition to data center construction clear: “We are losing our water sources, we're losing our power, we're losing our serenity, we're losing our land, our farmers are losing their land. This is one of the most important issues in front of America today, next to the pesticides and the toxins that are in our food supply.” She added, “Moratorium on data centers seems like a must for now, absolutely.”  Honeycutt's stance on data centers may put her and her organization further at odds with the Trump administration, following tensions between MAHA advocates and the administration over pesticide protections and Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-KY) primary loss this spring. The congressman had attended a “People vs. Poison” rally in April, drawing support from some MAHA and wellness advocates, but Trump endorsed his challenger.

At the reconfigured panel’s first public session on April 28, three other members said their nonspeaking adult children were learning to communicate through spelling. The panel issued a resolution with language from Bonker stating that “robust” communications programs are essential for autistic people. Bonker has urged the Department of Health and Human Services to support training in assisted spelling for those who want it.

But leading professional groups for autism science, as well as those representing psychologists and speech pathologists, point to research showing that these methods — premised on the idea that people with autism have the normal range of cognitive powers but are imprisoned in malfunctioning bodies — are flawed or fraudulent.