By Mary McCue Bell (The Washington Times)
A White House aide, Dr. Heidi Overton, has been tapped to lead the Food and Drug Administration, President Trump announced Wednesday.
Dr. Overton, the president’s deputy director of domestic policy, first joined the Trump orbit as a White House fellow during his first term. She returned in his second term to help lead his health policy.
Mr. Trump described her as a “prestigious” White House fellow in his first administration’s Office of American Innovation and Domestic Policy Council who is “SMART and RESPECTED by all!”
“Dr. Heidi has been a ROCKSTAR in my Administration, where she has worked directly with Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and team, to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History,” he wrote on Truth Social. “She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country. Heidi is ’ALWAYS RIGHT,’ [Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] recently said in the Oval Office! We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES.”
She has worked closely with the Health and Human Services Department on several high-profile initiatives, including Mr. Kennedy’s push to redesign the food pyramid and overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule, and Mr. Trump’s pricing deals with pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Overton’s resume includes leading health policy at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute. She earned a medical degree from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. in clinical investigation at Johns Hopkins University, where she also trained as a general surgery resident.
The president said she will work with Mr. Kennedy and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz “to RAPIDLY deliver on my priorities of FASTER Cures, INCREASED American Innovation, MAJOR Clinical Trial Reforms, LOWER Drug Prices, and even more MAHA WINS!”
Dr. Overton has, at times, frustrated leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to STAT News, even as she’s helped drive its signature policy wins like the vaccine-schedule overhaul and food pyramid redesign.
Her confirmation may not be smooth. Outgoing Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy of Louisiana labeled last week’s vaccine executive order “wrong,” and her participation in that event could heighten opposition.
Mr. Cassidy said that while he respects Dr. Overton’s experience as a physician, he has “strong concerns about her nomination.”
“Her lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization that is already dealing with staffing and morale issues,” he said on social media. “Additionally, Dr. Overton’s 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. That alone is almost disqualifying.”
If Dr. Overton’s nomination clears the Senate, she would be taking on an agency that was struck by a high-profile leadership departure in May.
Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner amid political friction over drug reviews, vaping authorization and policy direction.
Since his exit, Kyle Diamantas has served as acting commissioner.
The next commissioner would be tasked with picking up unfinished business, including major regulatory initiatives, fast-track systems and chronic disease policy proposals that are underway or stalled.
If confirmed, Dr. Overton would also be inheriting an agency surviving amid staffing cuts.
The FDA has lost over 3,000 staff members in the past year.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
