President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton to serve as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton is a physician and a White House policy aide who currently serves as a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
The nomination follows a period of in-person interviews for the position and comes after a turbulent year for the agency, which was marked by industry complaints and high-profile staff exits. As the new head of the FDA, Dr. Overton will be tasked with balancing a raft of competing priorities.
During the president's second term, Overton has guided health policies, including an executive order to pare back childhood vaccines. She opposes abortion, is wary of peptides, and supports limiting vaccines, positions that vex MAHA.