Senate confirms Johns Hopkins surgeon as FDA commissioner
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Martin Makary to head the Food and Drug Administration.
The chamber voted to approve President Trump’s nomination largely along party lines, voting 56-44 for Makary to confirm him as FDA commissioner. Three Democratic senators, Dick Durbin, D-IL, Maggie Hassan, D-NH, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, crossed the aisle to vote for Makary.
On March 13, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to advance Makary’s nomination to the full Senate.
While food safety was mentioned during his nomination hearing, it was not the kind of food safety related to foodborne pathogens and outbreaks. Rather it was about food dyes and additives, which have long been a favorite topic of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Makary, a surgeon and public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University, has aligned himself with Kennedy and the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. During his confirmation hearing he said he is a believer in science, but tempered with common sense.
“I believe in the scientific process. In addition, I also believe that we can use common sense,” Makary said. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement in America. 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.”
Senate committee members asked questions about recent firings at the FDA, some of which were scientists charged with investigating food chemicals.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-MD, asked Makary if he would rehire the fired FDA scientists. Alsobrooks argued firing FDA staffers for the sake of saving taxpayer dollars made no sense, since entire offices in some cases are paid with money derived from user fees.
Makary was non-committal, saying, “if an employee has not logged on to their VPN in two years, then I don’t want to rehire that individual. But if there are people that deserve a look, of course I’m happy to look at that.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-CO, said the understaffing at FDA was causing “chaos” and a “serious morale issue.” He questioned how Makary would ensure the FDA would retain its status as upholding the gold standard of science around the world if it didn’t have enough inspectors on staff.
After first repeating that he wasn’t involved in such decisions, Makary said he would conduct an “ongoing assessment to ensure that the scientists and food director have all the resources they need to do their job.”
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