President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton as his next US Food and Drug Administration commissioner, elevating a longtime ally to lead the embattled agency, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
The decision comes roughly three months after the resignation of Trump’s first FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, who stepped down amid intense pressure from the White House over his management of the agency.
Overton is currently the deputy director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, where she’s played a central role in developing and executing the administration’s health care agenda.
A doctor by training, she did a stint in the first Trump White House before joining the conservative America First Policy Institute think tank, ultimately overseeing its health policy center.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.