President Donald Trump’s picks to head the FDA and NIH advanced through the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on March 13.
Dr. Marty Makary would head the FDA if confirmed while Dr. Jay Bhattacharya would direct the NIH.
The fate of both nominees is now in the hands of the full Senate, which will vote on their confirmation. A majority vote is required. Republicans hold a 53–47 advantage in the chamber.
Makary and Bhattacharya are aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform and share his emphasis on vaccine safety, addressing the nation’s chronic disease epidemic, removing chemicals and toxins from food, and bringing transparency to government health agencies.
The FDA and NIH are among the 13 agencies managed by HHS.
On March 13, The Epoch Times learned that Trump is withdrawing his nomination of a former congressman to helm the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Dave Weldon, 71, is no longer under consideration to take the post of director of the CDC, a source familiar with the situation told The Epoch Times on March 13.
The decision about Weldon was not discussed during the votes to advance Makary and Bhattacharya.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who is chair of the panel, said in his opening remarks that “we’re at a critical moment in public health” and “the American people’s trust in public health institutions must be restored.
“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.
Cassidy added that Bhattacharya, if confirmed, “is committed to promoting free and open debate” at the NIH and has “discussed modernizing the NIH, empowering scientists to find the next life-saving medical breakthrough.”
Makary will “promote 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, Cassidy said.
In his opening remarks, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) immediately said he would not vote for either nominee.
He lamented the cost of prescription drugs for Americans and said, “We need an NIH director who is prepared to take on the greed of pharmaceutical industry and use every tool at his or her disposal to substantially lower the outrageous prices of prescription drugs. Unfortunately, I do not believe that President Trump’s nominee to lead the NIH is that person.”
Sanders expressed his disapproval of Makary.
“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. 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.,” Sanders said without adding why he believes Makary would not address his concerns.
Makary is a Johns Hopkins University surgeon and researcher who over the years has criticized COVID-19 mandates, advocated removing chemicals and toxins from the U.S. food supply, and 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.”
If confirmed, Makary would explore vaccine safety, research additives and dyes in food, and address chronic diseases, among other initiatives.
During his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing last week, Makary indicated that he will embrace the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda that focuses on addressing chronic disease and childhood illness.
Makary also said on March 6 that he will carry out Kennedy’s mission of “radical transparency.”
“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.
Bhattacharya is a physician and former Stanford University professor who first drew public attention in 2020 for his criticism of COVID-19-era interventions such as mask mandates, lockdowns, and school closures.
Trump nominated Bhattacharya in November 2024 to lead NIH with its $50 billion budget and staff of more than 25,000.
During the nominee’s confirmation hearing last week, Cassidy opened the session by pointing to what he called a widespread loss of trust in public health and scientific institutions.
“To restore that trust, officials need to be more transparent and provide reassurance that they are publishing health guidance that is best for Americans’ health and not biased in any way,” Cassidy said.
“What I have seen is that there’s tremendous distrust in medicine and science coming out of the pandemic,” Bhattacharya said at a March 5 Senate Committee meeting.
NIH, located in Bethesda, Maryland, includes 27 institutes focused on various aspects of health, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Bhattacharya said a key to restoring trust is to make NIH research more rigorous.
“NIH-supported science should be replicable, reproducible, and generalizable,” he said, recalling a recent research integrity scandal within the agency that called into question the validity of some studies on Alzheimer’s disease.
“NIH can and must solve the crisis of scientific data reliability.”
