President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy official, to serve as the next commissioner of the FDA, according to a post on his media platform Truth Social.
Overton, a physician, currently oversees the White House Domestic Policy Council as deputy director and is a proponent of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda. She previously served as chief policy officer at a conservative think tank, America First Policy Institute, where she authored articles calling for more control over prescribing abortion pills.
In his social post, Trump referred to “Dr. Heidi” as a “rockstar” who will “rapidly deliver on my priorities of faster cures, increased American innovation, major clinical trial reforms, lower drug prices, and even more MAHA wins!”
Last week, Overton was in the Oval Office when Trump signed a third executive order calling for an overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule. During the signing, Overton said it could help states recognize the “gold standard” of federal recommendations and limit vaccines required for school enrollment.
Since Makary’s resignation, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Kyle Diamantas led the FDA as acting commissioner. Diamantas declined to be a candidate for the permanent position.
After a turbulent summer, the agency continues to be under the public spotlight after tens of thousands of Americans became sick with cyclosporiasis, an illness caused by a parasite that spreads through feces-contaminated food and water. Outbreaks of salmonella in jalapeños and a Class I recall of eggs involving salmonella have added on to the agency’s recent chaos.
