Trumps FDA and NIH picks clear committee, teeing up final Senate confirmation

President Trump’s nominees to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a key Senate committee largely along party lines Thursday, paving the way for a full floor vote to confirm them.The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved Dr.Jayanta Bhattacharya’s nomination to be NIH director in a 12-11 vote and backed Dr.

Martin Makary’s bid to be FDA commissioner in a 14-9 vote.Both men are now expected to breeze through a full-fledged Senate confirmation vote within days, as Trump rounds out his public health team.

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has been wary of the vaccine skepticism espoused by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr., lauded Bhattacharya and Makary.

HHS oversees the FDA and NIH.“Dr.Bhattacharya committed to promoting free and open debate at the agency, allowing all viewpoints to find the best outcome for Americans’ health,” Cassidy said ahead of the committee’s vote Thursday.“He also discussed modernizing NIH, empowering scientists to find the next lifesaving medical breakthrough.”Cassidy also commended Makary, who had drawn the backing of two Democrats on the panel — Sens.

Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Hickenlooper (D-Col.) — for his interest in combating chronic diseases.Bhattacharya had grown to national prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for raising concerns about government-imposed lockdowns and mask mandates.At the time, he was an epidemiologist at Stanford University.The NIH director designate’s Twitter account was put on the platform’s “trends blacklist,” amid pressure from the Biden administration, according to revelations from the so-called “Twitter Files.”During his conversations with the Senate HELP Committee, Bhattacharya stressed the need for humility when it comes to scientific research.

“Science should be an engine for freedom,” Bhattacharya said during the hear...