Trump administration considers White House aide for FDA commissioner role

The Trump administration is considering Heidi Overton as its next FDA commissioner. Overton works at the White House on health policy and is a qualified medical doctor. She studied at Johns Hopkins University and worked as a White House fellow during Trump's first term. Two other candidates are also being considered: cancer specialist Jeffrey Vacirca and Pentagon health official Stephen Ferrara. No decision has been made yet. The FDA has had no permanent leader since May, when former commissioner Marty Makary left the role. Any new commissioner needs Senate approval. This could be complicated, because the relevant Senate committee is led by Bill Cassidy, a Republican who has recently disagreed with Trump. It is also unclear whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports Overton.