The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Stanford University professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, two vocal critics of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bhattacharya was confirmed by a party-line 53-47 vote and Makary was approved by a 56-44 vote, with three Democrats — Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Margaret Wood Hassan and Jeannie Shaheen of New Hampshire — joining the Republican majority.
Bhattacharya was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a scathing critique of the pandemic response and “the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies.”
Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and researcher, reportedly said the federal government was the “greatest perpetrator of misinformation” about COVID-19, opposed vaccine mandates and called the FDA “broken” and “mired in politics and red tape.”
Bhattacharya and Makary will oversee two agencies crucial to implementing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda of addressing the nation’s chronic health crisis. President Donald Trump has criticized the work of both agencies and pledged to restore public trust in the institutions.
“As our country faces challenges defined by chronic disease, coupled with an ongoing illicit drug crisis, Americans deserve biomedical research — backed by reliable, transparent data — that works to treat and prevent illness,” Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said in a statement about Bhattacharya’s confirmation. “The NIH has historically played a vital role in developing cutting-edge treatments.
“However, after years of resisting accountability to Congress and the American people, the agency is due for a fresh start. Dr. Bhattacharya is the right man for the job, and I look forward to working together to rebuild Americans’ trust in this important research agency so it can help Americans regain and maintain their health.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which advanced the nominations of Bhattacharya and Markey to the Senate floor, wrote Tuesday night in a post on X: “Dr. Bhattacharya and Dr. Makary have the experience and the vision to achieve President Trump’s objective of making America healthy again. Happy to vote for both of their nominations tonight!”
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