President Trump selected White House health aide Dr. Heidi Overton as his next FDA commissioner nominee, three months after ousting Dr. Marty Makary. Overton will need Senate confirmation before the health committee chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy, who has criticized Trump's vaccine policies.
President Trump selected White House health aide Dr. Heidi Overton as his next FDA commissioner nominee, three months after ousting Dr. Marty Makary.
Overton will need Senate confirmation before the health committee chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), who has criticized Trump's recent moves on vaccines, people familiar with the matter said.
Overton currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she has guided many of the health policies of Trump's second term. She trained under Makary at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and previously worked at the America First Policy Institute, the think tank formerly led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The FDA is currently led on an acting basis by Kyle Diamantas, the agency's former food division head.
The nomination sets up a potentially high-stakes confirmation battle. Some in the pharmaceutical industry who viewed Overton as too closely tied to Makary voiced opposition to her selection, while some allies of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have blamed her for slowing down preferred Make America Healthy Again policies.
Overton was among senior officials standing behind Trump in the Oval Office this month as he signed an executive order to pare back the recommended childhood vaccine schedule, a move that drew sharp criticism from Cassidy and much of the public health establishment. The order also tied immunization to autism, a connection scientists say does not exist.
Trump ousted Makary in May after a string of management headaches and disagreement over vaping policy. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Overton obtained her medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She did a stint in the first Trump administration before joining the America First Policy Institute, ultimately overseeing its health policy center.
Other candidates considered for the role included New York oncologist Dr. Jeff Vacirca and Dr. Stephen Ferrara, a top health official in the Defense Department. Rep. Buddy Carter (R., Ga.), a pharmacist, was also discussed as a possible nominee.
Overton's selection may generate skepticism among some in the Make America Healthy Again movement who remain wary of her involvement in White House-level decisions to pivot away from the most controversial parts of Kennedy's agenda, including vaccines, as well as to side with the agriculture industry on pesticide issues.
The nomination gives Overton a close relationship with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and a preexisting rapport with Trump. Should she be confirmed, she would lead an agency that has suffered from frequent personnel turnover and internal battles over policy decisions. Investors will watch the confirmation process for signals on how the FDA will handle drug approvals, vaccine policy, and pharmaceutical pricing under her leadership.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
