President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his choices to lead the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as his pick for the surgeon general post.
Trump, 78, nominated Dr. Marty Makary – a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and contributor for The Post – to serve as FDA commissioner.
Makary has been an outspoken critic of the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, accusing White House officials of pushing “unsupported claims” about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and risks the virus poses.
In his announcement, Trump said that the FDA “has lost the trust of Americans and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator.”
Trump also selected former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) to head the CDC on Friday.
The agency has come under fire from Republicans in Congress since the pandemic over its “inconsistent and flawed” guidance on masking, lockdowns, vaccines and boosters and the threat of COVID-19 to children. The agency has also been accused of withholding data about COVID-19 vaccines from Congress.
Weldon, a doctor and Army veteran, served seven terms in the House of Representatives before opting to not seek re-election in 2008.
Rounding out Trump’s end of the week selections for health posts is Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, whom he tapped to serve as surgeon general.
Nesheiwat is a Fox News medical contributor and the medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care clinics in New York and New Jersey.
Trump lauded Nesheiwat’s “unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” describing her as a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health.”