President-elect Trump has announced his choices for the remaining top spots on his health team. |
Late Friday, Trump tapped former Republican Congressman Dave Weldon to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Janette Nesheiwat as the next surgeon general. Here is what we know about all three picks: CDC director: Dave Weldon -
Weldon is an army veteran and medical doctor who earned a medical degree at SUNY Buffalo. He moved to Florida to practice medicine and represented the state’s 15th Congressional district for seven terms starting in 1995.
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During his tenure, Weldon promoted the false idea that thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative, caused a spike in autism cases. He also sponsored legislation to ban the substance from vaccines as well as another bill aimed at shifting the oversight of vaccine safety away from the CDC and to an independent agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Weldon will be the first nominee for CDC director in its 78-year history that will need to be confirmed by the Senate due to a provision passed in the recent omnibus budget.
FDA commissioner: Marty Makary - Trump’s pick for surgeon general is a surgical oncologist at Johns Hopkins University and an author who earned national attention for opposing vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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During that time, he also wrote opinion pieces questioning the value of other public health measures like lockdowns and mask mandates for children. He wrote in an Op-Ed for The Wall Street Journal that the government was underestimating the rate of
natural immunity from prior COVID-19 infections. He predicted that herd immunity would happen by April 2021, which did not happen.
- Makary’s nomination also needs to be approved by the Senate.
Surgeon general: Janette Nesheiwat
- Janette Nesheiwat is New York City medical director of the urgent care chain CityMD. Her sister, Julia Nesheiwat, served as homeland security adviser during the first Trump administration and is married to Trump’s pick for national security adviser — Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.).
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Nesheiwat is a medical contributor for Fox News and wrote a book called “Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine,” which tells the story of her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The book is described on her website as a “vivid Christian memoir” with stories of “miraculous recoveries, experiences in the ER, and global medical missions” that illuminate the “power of prayer and unwavering dedication to healing service.”
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Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, I’m Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
