RismadarVoice Reporters, August 19, 2026
US President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Dr Heidi Overton, a White House health policy adviser, to head the Food and Drug Administration, according to a senior administration official familiar with the process.
Overton, a physician and White House domestic policy official, regularly briefs Trump on health-related issues and has recently appeared alongside the president at events concerning the administration’s healthcare policies.
She was present earlier this month when Trump announced an executive order seeking to reduce the number of childhood vaccines recommended universally in the United States.
During the event, Overton urged states governed by Democrats to consider what she described as the administration’s “gold-standard” childhood vaccine recommendations. Her comments drew criticism from medical professionals who argued that the proposed changes were not supported by current scientific evidence.
According to the administration official, Overton was Trump’s third choice for the FDA position. Former Republican Congressman Brad Wenstrup of Ohio reportedly declined the offer, while acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas also turned down the position, citing personal considerations, including having young children.
The timing of the formal announcement of Overton’s nomination remains unclear, although it is expected to take place this week.
If confirmed by the Senate, Overton would take charge of the FDA at a sensitive period for the agency, including amid concerns over food safety following a multistate cyclospora outbreak.
She would succeed Dr Marty Makary, who resigned as FDA commissioner in May following disagreements with the Trump administration over issues including vaping regulations and access to abortion medication.
Before joining the White House, Overton served as vice chair and chief policy officer of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative policy organisation.
She has also been outspoken on abortion policy. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Overton welcomed the ruling and argued that it would allow Americans to reconsider the value of unborn children and make decisions through the democratic process.
In a 2024 opinion article, she criticised then-Vice President Kamala Harris over her position on abortion and accused Democrats of failing to clearly define womanhood.
Overton would inherit several contentious issues at the FDA, including the agency’s ongoing safety review of mifepristone, a medication used for abortion. The review has not yet resulted in a public report.
The FDA is also involved in the Trump administration’s efforts to alter national vaccine policy. Overton participated in the president’s signing of an executive order last week aimed at reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11.
At the event, she criticised states that rely on recommendations from organisations such as the American Academy of Paediatrics, arguing that some of the existing vaccine requirements were outdated.
Overton’s professional profile states that she is board-certified in public health and general preventive medicine. She previously trained in general surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Her nomination, once formally submitted, will require Senate confirmation before she can assume the FDA commissioner’s position.
