In a move that could reshape the future of American public health policy, the Senate has confirmed Dr. Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins professor and noted medical commentator, as the new head of the Food and Drug Administration.
The vote, which came after a decisive 56-44 cloture motion, cements a dramatic shift in the agency’s direction and signals a potential reckoning with the legacy decisions of recent years.
Dr. Makary, who previously served as a Fox News medical contributor, did not waver during his Senate hearings. Facing tough questions on vaccine oversight, abortion, chronic illness, and food safety, he maintained a resolute, detail-oriented posture that seemed to underscore his reputation as a reformer. But it was a specific exchange with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that captured the broader political and scientific tension at play.
🚨 BREAKING: THIS IS HUGE!
The senate just confirmed Pro-Life Doctor Marty Makary will head the FDA!!! Having a Pro-Life Doctor in charge will be HUGE in the fight against the abortion pill! pic.twitter.com/YCu6rygfRx— Seth Gruber (@sgruber91) March 26, 2025
When pressed about the postponement of an FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting—a delay critics attributed to administrative maneuvering—Makary turned the tables. “Well, you can ask the Biden administration that chose not to convene the committee meeting for the COVID vaccine booster,” he said, calling attention to the 2021 decision to approve broad use of boosters without a full committee review. His reference wasn’t casual. It recalled a period of friction between government transparency and expedited pandemic-era policy.
Makary’s stance was consistent with his previous critiques. In a 2021 op-ed, he called for “fresh leadership at the FDA,” urging a reset in both culture and direction. Now at the helm, he is positioned to make good on that vision—and not just in the realm of vaccines.
“President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement,” Makary declared during his confirmation hearing. He pointed to rising childhood obesity and the unsettling surge of early-onset Alzheimer’s as warning signs that America’s health crisis goes far deeper than just prescription drugs or pandemic policy. His solution? Address food as a cornerstone of health policy.
🔥 Dr. Marty Makary was just CONFIRMED as President Trump’s FDA Commissioner
Dr. Makary pledged to END the poisoning of our children.
“Half of our nation’s children are sick.”
“We are drugging our nation’s children at scale.”
“Nobody has really been doing anything meaningful… pic.twitter.com/D75fnSajuC
— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) March 26, 2025
For years, critics have accused the FDA of being too reactive, too politicized, and too intertwined with pharmaceutical interests. Makary’s confirmation is more than just a personnel change—it’s a symbolic pivot toward a broader, more integrated understanding of what truly makes a nation healthy.
With public trust in institutions strained, the FDA’s new chief faces a formidable challenge. But if Makary’s history as a blunt, data-driven reformer is any indication, the agency may be headed for one of its most significant transformations in decades.
