Key Points
● Trump has chosen Heidi Overton to lead the FDA, according to Bloomberg; the White House had not formally announced the decision at the time of the report.
● Overton is a White House health policy official with medical and clinical-investigation training.
● She would succeed Marty Makary, who left the FDA in May after about 13 months as commissioner.
● The FDA has experienced significant senior-level turnover, making agency stability an immediate challenge for its next confirmed leader.
● E-cigarettes remain among the products overseen by the FDA, with flavored vape policy having been one of the contentious issues during Makary's tenure.
2Firsts
August 19, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen White House health policy aide Heidi Overton to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19, citing a person familiar with the matter, as the agency seeks permanent leadership after months of senior-level turmoil.
Overton currently works on health issues within the White House domestic policy operation. At the time Bloomberg published its report, neither Overton nor the White House had immediately responded to requests for comment, meaning a formal nomination announcement was still pending. The FDA commissioner requires Senate confirmation.
If confirmed, Overton would take charge of an agency whose regulatory reach includes drugs, vaccines, food and e-cigarettes. Bloomberg said products overseen by the FDA account for roughly one-fifth of U.S. consumer spending.
White House Health Policy Aide Tapped for FDA
Overton is a physician who has been working on domestic health policy at the White House. She previously held a senior policy role at the America First Policy Institute and served as a White House Fellow during Trump's first administration.
She received her medical degree from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate in clinical investigation from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also previously trained in general surgery at Johns Hopkins.
Her selection would move a current White House health policy official directly into one of the U.S. government's most powerful regulatory positions.
FDA Seeks Stability After Makary's Departure
Overton emerged as Trump's choice roughly three months after former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary left the agency in May.
Makary served about 13 months in the role, during a tenure marked by internal clashes, industry pushback and controversy over several regulatory decisions. A series of other senior departures added to concerns about leadership stability at the agency.
Kyle Diamantas is currently serving as acting commissioner.
The next confirmed commissioner will have to stabilize the agency while navigating pressure from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and other regulated industries, as well as competing priorities within the administration.
Vape Regulation Remains a Key FDA Issue
For the vaping sector, the leadership change is particularly significant.
The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products regulates e-cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine products through the premarket tobacco product application process, marketing authorizations and enforcement against unauthorized products.
Flavored vaping products became one of the contentious regulatory issues during Makary's tenure.
At the same time, the FDA has been changing how it handles parts of tobacco-product review and enforcement. In May, the agency announced steps to accelerate premarket application reviews and issued new guidance setting enforcement priorities for certain unauthorized ENDS and oral nicotine pouch products.
Those policies remain in implementation, meaning a confirmed Overton would inherit a tobacco regulatory system already undergoing changes in both product review and enforcement.
Senate Confirmation Is the Next Test
The FDA commissioner must be confirmed by the Senate.
Bloomberg reported that the nomination would go through the Senate health committee chaired by Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, a physician who has at times had a tense relationship with both Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The FDA is facing political pressure across multiple areas, including drug reviews, vaccines, abortion medication and vaping regulation.
As of Bloomberg's report, the White House had not formally announced Overton's nomination.
If confirmed, she would become the FDA's next permanent commissioner after Makary and take over an agency in the midst of leadership rebuilding, regulatory reform and several politically sensitive policy debates.
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Cover Image source: Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg
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