On March 25, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed Johns Hopkins surgeon Marty Makary as the 27th Commissioner of Food and Drugs by a vote of 56-44. Three Democratic senators -- Dick Durbin (IL), Maggie Hassan (NH), and Jeanne Shaheen (NH) -- crossed party lines to support his confirmation. The HELP Committee had advanced his nomination 14-9.
Makary's Background and Agenda
Makary, a surgical oncologist and public health researcher at Johns Hopkins, was nominated as a central figure in the administration's plan to reshape the FDA. He was confirmed the same day as Jay Bhattacharya as NIH director, signaling a coordinated overhaul of the federal health research and regulatory apparatus.
Makary had been critical of FDA regulatory processes, advocating for faster drug approvals, reduced regulatory burdens on food manufacturers, and a reconsideration of the agency's approach to vaccine oversight. His confirmation occurred amid significant turbulence at the FDA, including the imminent departure of vaccine chief Peter Marks just three days later.
Significance
Makary's confirmation installed the architect of FDA deregulation at the agency's helm at a moment when HHS Secretary RFK Jr. was already reshaping health policy from above. With Makary as Commissioner and Kennedy as HHS Secretary, the FDA's dual roles -- as both industry regulator and public health guardian -- were placed under leadership fundamentally skeptical of the regulatory framework they inherited. The bipartisan margin of confirmation lent institutional legitimacy to what critics characterized as an agenda to weaken drug safety standards and vaccine oversight.