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Overton nominated for FDA
President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy aide, to lead the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and said she would replace former FDA chief Marty Makary, who resigned in May after clashing with the White House over the safety of flavoured vapes.
“Trump nominates aide Heidi Overton to lead US Food and Drug Administration”
NBC News reported that Overton was at Trump’s side earlier this month when he announced an executive order aimed at reducing the number of universally recommended childhood vaccinations, and that she urged “blue states” to adopt the administration’s “gold standard” recommendations.
CBS News said Overton would need Senate confirmation and described her as a physician and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House, adding that Trump said she has helped deliver “the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History.”
Reuters said Trump posted on Wednesday that “Dr Heidi has been a ROCKSTAR in my Administration,” and the nomination was framed as part of a broader push to assure the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs and regulate tobacco products if confirmed.
Support and opposition collide
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he has “strong concerns” about Overton, writing that her “lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization.”
CBS News also quoted Cassidy’s critique that her active role in last week’s “nonsensical vaccine executive order” calls into question her commitment to “standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health.”
NBC News reported that Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called Overton a “far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA,” and said she would vote NO.
In the Oval Office context described by CBS News, Trump said “Heidi is 'ALWAYS RIGHT,' Secretary Kennedy recently said in the Oval Office!” as Overton was positioned to work with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
What’s at stake next
The nomination arrives as the FDA faces a “delicate time,” with a recent multistate cyclospora outbreak raising concerns about the safety of the nation’s food supply, according to NBC News.
“with the recent multistate cyclospora outbreak raising concerns about the safety of the nation’s food supply”
CBS News said the FDA currently has an acting commissioner, Kyle Diamantas, after former commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned in May amid tensions at the organization, and that Overton would be tasked with assuring safety and efficacy of prescription drugs and regulating tobacco products.
NPR said the FDA has a staff of around 18,000 people and regulates food, drugs, and medical devices, as well as tobacco, cosmetics, supplements and other products, while noting that Overton still needs Senate confirmation.
NPR also quoted Dr. Joshua Sharfstein saying that leading the FDA could be “the hardest health job in government,” and described the job as involving “political pressures, business pressures, and advocacy pressures coming all the time.”