Dr. Marty Makary, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, was confirmed by the Senate in a 56–44 vote on March 25.
Makary is aligned with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again platform and shares his focus on vaccine safety, addressing the nation’s chronic disease epidemic, removing chemicals and toxins from food, and bringing transparency to government health agencies.
“Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause. We should be, and we will be, addressing food as it impacts our health,” Makary said earlier this month.
“Thanks to the courage of President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, we now have a generational opportunity to usher in radical transparency to facilitate more cures, meaningful treatments, and diagnostics at the FDA to help people take care of their own health.”
When the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to advance Makary to the Senate floor for a full vote earlier this month, Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is also a physician, said that “we’re at a critical moment in public health” and that the American people’s trust in public health institutions must be restored.
The Senate also recently confirmed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as the director of the National Institutes of Health.
“We need public health leaders committed to transparency and finding unbiased solutions to Americans’ most challenging health problems. Dr. Bhattacharya and Dr. Makary have demonstrated that they are ready to take on this responsibility,” Cassidy said.
“[Makary] committed to promoting medical innovation while upholding the FDA’s gold standard of review so Americans can benefit from the latest life-saving medicines and devices [if he is confirmed].”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) expressed reservations about confirming Makary in his remarks before the committee vote.
“The FDA was established by Congress to regulate prescription drugs and the food that we eat, among many other things. According to the FDA website, its mission is to make medical products more effective, safer, and more affordable,” Sanders said.
“Again, all of the great breakthroughs don’t mean anything unless people can’t afford them. And today in America, tens of millions of people cannot afford those treatments. And for that reason, Mr. Chairman, I will also oppose the FDA nominee.”
Makary is a Johns Hopkins University surgeon and researcher who, over the years, has criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has advocated removing chemicals and toxins from the U.S. food supply, and has proposed greater transparency in medicine.
Makary is needed to “course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump wrote, as well as to evaluate “harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic.”
During his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing, Makary indicated that he will embrace the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, which focuses on addressing chronic disease and childhood illness.
“If confirmed, I hope to ensure the FDA holds to the gold standard of trusted science, transparency, and common sense to rebuild public trust and make America healthy again,” Makary said.
