Donald Trump’s pick to replace Dr. Marty Makary as head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could end up a casualty of Republican anger over Trump’s role in the GOP’s midterm massacre.
Heidi Overton’s path to confirmation was already narrow, and the Washington Sun reported it’s getting narrower by the day.
Her biggest problem is the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where she needs every Republican vote. Two of those Republicans, Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), are lame ducks who just lost their seats and may feel little obligation to do Trump favors, the Sun reported.
Cassidy offered no hints. “You gotta wait, man, suspense,” he told reporters Monday. Pressed on whether he had reservations about Overton, he replied, “No comment.”
Cassidy, a doctor and vaccine supporter, was knocked out in his primary by Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow. He has warned before that he might block Trump’s health nominees over the administration’s vaccine policies, though he has yet to vote against one. Collins lost her bid for a sixth term to Democrat Troy Jackson last week and has refused to say how she will vote.
Abortion could be a sticking point, the report notes. At her confirmation hearing, Overton avoided committing to a position on the FDA’s review of the abortion pill mifepristone. Collins, who supports abortion rights, cited Attorney General Todd Blanche’s stance on abortion as one reason she voted against him.
Time is also against Overton. Republicans are trying to squeeze dozens of nominees through before Democrats take control of the Senate in January. Add to that, the Sun reported, “Overton lost an advocate in the White House with the departure of former chief of staff Susie Wiles.“
If she isn’t confirmed, the FDA’s leadership will stay in limbo. Kyle Diamantas has been acting commissioner since Makary was forced out last spring. According to a senior administration official, the White House would then put Sara Brenner, a former top FDA deputy who now leads the White House pandemic preparedness office, in charge.
The report notes that Trump reportedly had first asked Diamantas to take the job permanently, but he declined, saying “he wants to leave by year’s end” to spend more time with his young family.
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