The Senate on Tuesday voted 56-44 to confirm Martin Makary, a former Johns Hopkins University surgeon and author, to lead the Food and Drug Administration. He picked up a trio of Democratic votes — Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
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Makary has criticized school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and was skeptical of the need for COVID-19 boosters in kids, but noted in his confirmation hearing, “Vaccines save lives, and I do believe that any child who dies on a vaccine-preventable illness is a tragedy in the modern era.”
“I believe in the scientific process. In addition, I also believe that we can use common sense,” he added. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement in America. Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause. We should be and we will be addressing food as it impacts our health.”
Makary, a surgical oncologist and health policy researcher, spent more than two decades at Johns Hopkins.
