Trump expected to choose White House adviser Heidi Overton for FDA
Aug 19, 2026
The White House appears ready to announce its pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration.Dr. Heidi Overton is expected to be President Donald Trumps nominee to lead the agency, according to a source close to the situation.The
decision comes about three months after the resignation of Dr. Marty Makary, Trumps first FDA commissioner.RELATED STORY | FDA proposes new rule change to require ingredient transparency in foodOverton currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. She previously served in the first Trump administration before joining the America First Policy Institute think tank.She is board-certified in public health and preventive medicine.Overton has taken positions that align with some Trump administration policies. She has written that people can oppose vaccine mandates without opposing vaccines more broadly. She also opposes abortion rights.She also voiced support for the Trump administrations changes to the vaccine schedule, which now recommends separate timing for measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations for infants.RELATED STORY | FDA approves new flu vaccine that uses same technology as COVID-19 shotsYou should put this into your state law so that when parents go to enroll their kids in school, they do not have to meet some of the requirements for the vaccines that are no longer recommended for all children, she said.
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