Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have cultivated a public partnership around President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, even as their departments have clashed over pesticide policy and the interests of farmers. The two secretaries, sworn in on the same day in February, began building their relationship over lunch at the White House. Rollins said Kennedy was an unknown to her, but the pair soon coordinated on the MAHA Commission, which was tasked with examining the causes of chronic disease in the United States. Their first major test came as the commission prepared a report in spring 2025. Kennedy’s movement has questioned conventional agricultural practices, including pesticide use, while Rollins has emphasized protecting farmers and the nation’s food supply. Aides to the two secretaries negotiated over how the report would describe pesticides and fertilizers. The report, released in May, stopped short of the sweeping anti-pesticide position some MAHA supporters wanted. It nevertheless described crop-protection chemicals as a health danger, provoking concern among agricultural and chemical-industry groups. Kennedy’s adviser Calley Means worked to reassure farm groups, while Rollins acknowledged that the report did not represent the agriculture industry’s interests. The secretaries have since appeared together at farms and hospital kitchens and promoted areas of agreement, including regenerative agriculture and changes to food aid. Rollins has described herself as a “MAHA mom,” while saying her responsibility is to protect farmers and the food system. Kennedy has said he and Rollins speak frequently and that he spends more time at the Agriculture Department than at any other Cabinet department. Their partnership has not guaranteed that their preferences prevail. When the MAHA Commission drafted a second report on childhood chronic disease, White House officials made the final decisions on its wording, according to administration officials. References to pesticides were removed. Five months later, Trump signed an executive order promoting domestic glyphosate production, a move that further reassured industry but angered MAHA activists. The episode underscores the limits of Cabinet influence: secretaries can negotiate with one another and help frame options, but the president and his White House staff decide among them. Rollins and Kennedy had a role in the pesticide discussions, but did not control the final direction. Other events have highlighted the pressure on Cabinet officials to remain in step with Trump. In a Senate hearing in March, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about a $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign that featured her. Noem said Trump had approved it; White House officials later told reporters he had not. Trump fired Noem that month after months of growing frustration, according to the account of administration officials. Over roughly six weeks in the spring, Trump also removed Attorney General Pam Bondi and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Chavez-DeRemer had denied allegations of misconduct and misuse of department resources. A senior White House official said Trump worried that her interview with the Labor Department inspector general could become embarrassing for her and the administration. Cabinet officials have also been told to keep a low profile during major events. After U.S. forces began strikes on Iranian targets in coordination with Israel on Feb. 28, the White House directed Cabinet members to avoid public comment so Trump’s social media posts would remain the administration’s primary public account, the report said. At the same time, Trump keeps many secretaries in close contact, sometimes calling them late at night and expecting frequent updates. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he speaks with Trump most days. He recalled waking to find a midnight call from the president in his phone log after falling asleep, then calling back to ask what they had discussed. Trump joked that Mullin would never know. For Rollins and Kennedy, collaboration has helped them keep a place in negotiations and advance some shared priorities. But the pesticide dispute showed that working together does not give Cabinet secretaries the final word when the White House and the president choose a different course.