Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the FDA

President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, a deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If confirmed, she would replace Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May after 13 months in the role. Overton, a surgeon with degrees from the University of New Mexico and Johns Hopkins, previously served as chief policy officer at the conservative America First Policy Institute. Source: AP News

Policy positions

Overton has been a vocal advocate for Trump's health agenda, including his recent executive order to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule. She called the order "a historic action" and backed the idea of separating the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual shots, despite public health experts saying there is no scientific support for that approach. Source: NPR She has also written against gender-affirming care for minors and questioned the safety of medication abortion, positions that align with conservative efforts to restrict access to abortion pills. Source: Ars Technica

Confirmation outlook

Overton's confirmation may face hurdles. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has already said she will vote no, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the Senate health committee, has voiced concerns about the administration's vaccine policies but has not said how he will vote. Source: NPR Some within the "Make America Healthy Again" movement are wary of Overton, given her role in White House decisions that tempered parts of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agenda. Source: CNN