HHS Search Underway for New FDA Commissioner Within Weeks
HHS leadership accelerates search for permanent FDA Commissioner to be presented by early June, navigating tensions between pharmaceutical industry demands for predictability and Kennedy's MAHA movement pushing radical health reforms.
Objective Facts
Senior HHS advisor Chris Klomp told Inside Health Policy Wednesday (May 13) he is leading the search for a new FDA commissioner, which is already underway, and a list of candidates will be presented to the president within weeks. Names reported to be under consideration for the permanent commissioner role include former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, who led the Agency from 2019 to 2021, and former Acting Commissioner Brett Giroir, MD. Those hiring efforts are likely to similarly focus on more conventional, experienced candidates who have credibility within the FDA and among the broader public, marking a further shift away from the MAHA-aligned outsiders favored by Kennedy. Officials are privately hoping to ultimately recommend a permanent replacement to Trump by early June, the senior administration official said. The next head of the agency will have to navigate political interference and balance the demands of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement with the MAGA White House, with HHS Secretary Kennedy pushing untested peptides with virtually no restrictions, anti-abortion leaders wanting restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, and President Trump reportedly pressing for approved flavored electronic cigarettes.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, expressed concern that the next commissioner will face the same challenges Makary did, and called for a more scientific-based, evidence-based FDA, not one that has to change according to the whims of political appointees and perhaps donors and friends of the White House. Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, argued the problem at FDA is not just one commissioner or controversy, but the growing perception that scientific expertise is being subordinated to politics, instability and ideology. Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said leading the FDA would be a "nearly impossible charge" for any successor tasked with leading a science-based agency under an unqualified HHS Secretary, and mused that Robert F Kennedy Jr is the cause of much of the chaos resulting in job vacancies. Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard Medical School noted that Makary attempted to split the difference between Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again agenda and traditional regulation, ultimately angering both camps, and shortly before his resignation, Makary drew the ire of President Trump for attempting to block the approval of fruit-flavored vapes. Left-leaning coverage emphasizes that institutional scientific integrity is the core issue at stake. Rather than debating individual regulatory decisions, left-leaning outlets focus on systemic politicization and the erosion of the FDA's capacity to conduct evidence-based review. They downplay Trump's desire for regulatory efficiency and instead highlight the threat to public health from Kennedy's involvement in day-to-day scientific decisions.
Right-Leaning Perspective
PhRMA CEO Steve Ubl stated at Axios' Future of Health Summit, "What we really need from the next leader of the FDA is to calm the waters and reestablish that certainty and predictability," while Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Chris Boerner echoed the need for a stable FDA that sets consistent rules given the billions of dollars and 10-15 year horizons required to bring new medicines to market. Chris Meekins, a Raymond James analyst and former senior HHS official, acknowledged the challenge of finding someone industry welcomes and MAHA does not despise. Fox News reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary's resignation, and noted that acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, an attorney, has a background litigating abortion-related cases and walked off a case representing Planned Parenthood citing his pro-life beliefs, a move that received praise from White House officials. Capstone analyst Will Humphrey wrote that the White House is expected to nominate a less disruptive, pro-industry commissioner, consistent with other recent steps the administration has taken to moderate the agency, and drugmakers would welcome more predictability. Right-leaning and industry coverage emphasizes regulatory unpredictability as the core failure of the Makary era, not politicization. Conservative outlets frame the search as an opportunity to restore stability and industry confidence. They highlight pro-life credentials of potential candidates rather than scientific qualifications, and celebrate Kennedy's influence in pushing Makary out.
Deep Dive
The search for a new FDA Commissioner represents a pivotal moment in how the Trump administration balances competing health policy visions. The administration is moving quickly to identify someone who can rebuild trust with agency staff, focus on food policy, and continue drug-approval reforms. HHS advisor Chris Klomp stated the search is underway with candidates to be presented within weeks. Officials are hoping to recommend a permanent replacement by early June. Makary's 14-month tenure illustrates the fundamental contradictions the next commissioner must navigate: political interference, funding cuts, balancing MAHA's demands against MAGA priorities, Kennedy's push for untested peptides, anti-abortion pressure on abortion pills, and Trump's push for flavored e-cigarettes. The left's critique focuses on institutional integrity. Critics argue the problem is not one commissioner but the growing perception that scientific expertise is being subordinated to politics, instability and ideology. Diana Zuckerman and others call for a more scientific-based, evidence-based FDA not bending to political appointees and donors. The right and industry focus on predictability. PhRMA CEO Steve Ubl emphasized the need for the next leader to "calm the waters and reestablish that certainty and predictability." Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Chris Boerner noted that with 10-15 year development timelines and billions in investment per drug, the industry needs a stable FDA that sets consistent rules. What the left sees as political corruption, the right sees as necessary course correction from an overly cautious agency. The real challenge is that the next commissioner cannot fully satisfy either constituency. Officials need to find a candidate who gets along with both Trump and Kennedy but also balance pharmaceutical companies who fiercely criticized Makary against an energized MAHA movement pushing Trump to take a harder line against the deep-pocketed health lobby. Chris Meekins noted finding someone industry welcomes and MAHA does not despise may be a challenging channel to navigate. The administration's shift toward more conventional, experienced candidates with credibility within the FDA marks a further shift away from the MAHA-aligned outsiders favored by Kennedy, suggesting Trump is prioritizing industry stability over Kennedy's radical reform agenda—at least on this appointment. The next commissioner will likely face similar pressures that undid Makary and will need either far greater political skill or explicit presidential backing to resist the competing demands.