Trump expected to pick Dr. Heidi Overton to lead FDA

By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton as his next US Food and Drug Administration commissioner, elevating a longtime ally to lead the embattled agency, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

The decision comes roughly three months after the resignation of Trump’s first FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, who stepped down amid intense pressure from the White House.

Overton is currently the deputy director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, where she’s played a central role in developing and executing the administration’s health care agenda.

A doctor by training, she did a stint in the first Trump administration before joining the conservative America First Policy Institute think tank, ultimately overseeing its health policy center.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomberg News first reported Overton’s expected selection.

Should Trump officially nominate Overton, it will set up yet another potentially high-stakes confirmation battle in front of the Senate’s health committee.

This month, the Senate narrowly confirmed Trump’s pick to run the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Erica Schwartz, but only after GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy delayed the process over his long-running concerns about the administration’s vaccine policies.

Shortly afterward, Trump issued an executive order aimed at overhauling the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule, prompting sharp criticism from Cassidy and much of the public health establishment.

Overton was among the senior officials standing behind Trump in the Oval Office as he signed that order.

Trump health officials have sought a new FDA commissioner since Makary resigned in May, with officials who led the search prioritizing candidates capable of stabilizing an agency that had suffered from frequent personnel turnover and internal battles over a range of policy decisions.

The administration soon homed in on a small group of finalists, including Overton and well-known cancer physician Dr. Jeff Vacirca, people familiar with the matter said. But Overton ultimately boasted significant support within the White House, according to one of the people familiar with the matter, benefiting in particular from her close relationship with chief of staff Susie Wiles and a preexisting rapport with Trump.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who has worked closely with the US Health and Human Services Department over the past several months, was also seen as a critical ally. Rollins and Overton worked together during Trump’s first term and later at the America First Policy Institute.

Overton’s selection may nevertheless generate some skepticism among the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, some of whom remain wary of her involvement in White House-level decisions earlier this year to pivot away from the most controversial parts of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda, such as vaccines — as well as to side with the agriculture industry on key issues surrounding pesticides.

Though Overton and Kennedy have worked closely on a range of health priorities, some people familiar with the dynamic questioned how the two would mesh if Overton moves from the White House to an FDA role that is technically subordinate to Kennedy.

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