Senate to question Trump’s pick for FDA chief following staff cuts and departures

President Donald Trump’s nomination for the head of the Food and Drug Administration will face Senate inquiry on Thursday regarding his strategies for the agency. This is significant as the administration is contemplating a closer examination of vaccines, antidepressants, and highly processed foods.

Dr. Marty Makary, a surgeon, author, and scholar, is recognized for his unconventional perspectives and vocal critiques of the healthcare system. He, like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attributes many of Americans’ health issues to additives in food, excessive prescription of medications, and the influence of pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and food producers.

In order to assume the role of commissioner, he must secure a majority vote from the Senate health committee members, who will interview him on Thursday morning. A final confirmation vote by the entire Senate is anticipated later this month.

The FDA has long been a target for Kennedy, who last year vowed to “clear out” entire departments at the agency, including those overseeing nutrition. Kennedy recently called for a “Make America Healthy Again” commission to review the safety of vaccines, antidepressants, stimulants and weight-loss drugs — all products regulated by the FDA — particularly in children.

The approach has been lauded by most Republicans. But Senate Democrats are expected to push Makary on his willingness to break with Kennedy on key issues, including the safety and benefits of childhood vaccinations.

FDA commissioners aren’t typically involved in the agency’s day-to-day scientific reviews, but they often serve as a buffer between FDA staff and political appointees elsewhere in government.

For his part, Makary has been critical of the agency he would lead. While working as a Fox News contributor during COVID-19, he called the FDA “broken” and “mired in politics and red tape.”

Despite such views, Makary is considered one of Trump’s more conventional health nominees and is widely expected to be confirmed. Before the pandemic, Makary was mainly known for influential studies of medical errors, hospital costs and overprescribing of opioids.

Headquartered in the suburbs outside Washington, the FDA oversees medical products plus billions of dollars in consumer goods, including most foods, cosmetics and vaping products.

Makary would take over at a particularly turbulent period for the agency. Last month, the FDA abruptly fired hundreds of medical reviewers, researchers and inspectors, only to rehire some of them a week later. Several senior FDA officials have resigned or retired in recent months. The agency is also expected to lose more staffers to buyouts, further layoffs and return-to-office requirements.

Among other issues facing the agency:

— Pressure from anti-abortion groups to restrict the abortion pill mifepristone

— Efforts to keep up with a wave of artificial intelligence-based medical systems

— Legal battles with compounding pharmacies and telehealth companies over off-brand versions of weight-loss drugs

In government ethics forms, Makary recently said he has cut financial ties with several companies that could be impacted by his work at FDA, including telehealth and drug companies that sell compounded versions of FDA-approved drugs.

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