Trump requests Janette Nesheiwat for Surgeon General, Marty Makary for FDA

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary to direct Food and Drug Administrationelecting a surgeon and author who gained national attention for opposing vaccine mandates and some other public health measures during Covid-19 pandemic.

Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is the latest in a line of Trump nominees who has declared the US health care system “broken” and promised a shake-up. As part of a flurry of nominations late Friday night, Trump also applied to the doctor and former Republican Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat, meanwhile, is set to become the nation’s next surgeon general.

Some of Makary’s views closely align with the man poised to be his boss — prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has tapped as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In books and articles, Makary has condemned the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on food, and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies on doctors and government officials, points that Kennedy has also pointed to for years.

Trump said Makary, trained as a surgeon and cancer specialist, “will restore the FDA to the gold standard of scientific research and cut red tape at the agency to ensure Americans get the medical cures and treatments they deserve.”

With headquarters in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington, the 18,000 employees of the FDA are responsible for the safety and effectiveness of prescription substancesvaccines and medical equipment as well as a number of other consumables, including foodcosmetics and vaping products. Together, these products represent an estimated 20% of US consumer spending annually, or $2.6 trillion.

Makary gained prominence on Fox News and other conservative outlets for his contrarian views during the COVID-19 pandemic. He questioned the need for masking, and while he was not opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine, he was concerned about booster vaccinations in young children. He was part of a vocal group of doctors who called for greater emphasis on herd immunity to stop the virus, or the idea that mass infections would quickly lead to population-level protection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that COVID-19 vaccinations prevented more than 686,000 US deaths in 2020 and 2021 alone. While children faced much lower hospitalizations and deaths from the virus, medical societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics that vaccinations significantly reduced serious illness in the age group.

Makary has regretted how drug manufacturers used misleading data to encourage doctors to prescribe OxyContin and other opioids as low-risk, non-addictive pain relievers. This marketing was allowed under FDA-approved labeling from the 1990s, suggesting the drugs were safe for common ailments like back pain.

In recent years, the FDA has come under fire for approving drugs for Alzheimer’s, ALS and other conditions based on incomplete data that did not show meaningful benefit to patients.

A push toward greater scrutiny of drug safety and effectiveness would be a major turnaround for the FDA, which for decades has focused on faster drug approvals. This trend has been fueled by industry lobbying and fees paid by drug manufacturers to help the FDA hire additional reviewers.

Kennedy has proposed ending those payments, which would require billions in new funding from the federal budget.

Other administrative priorities are likely to encounter similar roadblocks. For example, Kennedy wants to exclude drug manufacturers advertising on televisiona multi-billion dollar market that supports many television and cable networks. The Supreme Court and other conservative justices are likely to overturn such a ban on First Amendment grounds that protect commercial speech, experts note.

Less is known about Trump’s pick for the Atlanta-based CDC, which develops vaccines and monitors infectious disease outbreaks.

Weldon is a staunch, self-described “pro-life” Republican. Legislation he introduced more than 20 years ago banned human cloning. He also negotiated a deal with lawmakers to bar patents on human organisms, including genetically engineered embryos. Weldon also spoke against removing the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman whose family’s battle over her vegetative state became a national debate.

Weldon’s nomination is likely to reassure some anti-abortion advocates who have been concerned about Trump’s nomination of Kennedy, a longtime Democrat and abortion rights advocate, as the nation’s top health official.

Weldon retired from his congressional seat in 2008 after 14 years in public office. Earlier this year, he lost in a GOP primary for a seat in the Florida Legislature.

If confirmed, he will be responsible for more than 13,000 employees and nearly 13,000 other contract workers.

Nesheiwat, meanwhile, will oversee 6,000 members of the US Public Health Service Corps if the Republican-controlled Senate approves her nomination as surgeon general. She is the medical director of an urgent care company in New York. She appears regularly on Fox News and has often expressed support for Trump, sharing photos of them together on her social media pages.

Surgeons general also have the authority to issue advisories and warnings about threats to the public health of the United States. This advice can influence how the government, public sector and medical community respond to health crises in the country.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.