MAHA’s Next Fight: Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Peach Pundit welcomes guest posts on Georgia politics and policy. This post was written by Representative Karen Mathiak (R-Griffin). We appreciate her submitting this to us.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)
initiative has tackled chronic disease prevention with a focus on metabolic health. As a proud
Republican member of the Georgia General Assembly and a strong advocate for patient-centered
healthcare, I’m calling on President Trump and his Administration to invest in a national
initiative, the Great American Alzheimer’s Initiative, for Alzheimer’s research and prevention.
With the MAHA initiative already taking bold action, including removing petroleum-based food
dyes, updating nutrition guidelines for Americans, and investing in researching children with
chronic disease, it is time to take a strong stance for our seniors by investing in Alzheimer’s
research, prevention, and treatment in the MAHA agenda.
The rising rates of Alzheimer’s disease are not just a medical issue, but an economic issue as
well. Across Georgia, aging Georgians are facing an irreversible disease that puts a toll on their
families and a financial strain on the American healthcare system. The National Institute on
Aging estimates that Alzheimer’s-related care costs $781 billion in one year. This cost drains
Medicare and Medicaid, money that could be spent instead on prevention and research.
Older Georgians deserve dignity in their later years, and families deserve the freedom to care for
loved ones without being crushed by bureaucratic red tape and spiraling costs. The Trump
Administration must lead in supporting this initiative. On the international stage, researching
Alzheimer’s disease is just as imperative. American competitiveness is on the line with China
investing over 700 million dollars in a dementia research project called the China Brain Project,
a project aimed at defeating dementia by 2030. The U.S. needs to stay ahead by launching a
well-funded national initiative that unleashes innovation in the private sector, cuts unnecessary
regulations, and partners with states to support the millions of people living with this devastating
disease.
With almost seven million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, most Americans either
have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or know someone who does. Adding Alzheimer’s disease to
the list of issues the MAHA initiative must tackle is essential to support our seniors, support our
community, and support America’s economic future and global leadership.
