Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The Senate HELP Committee on Thursday advanced the nominations of Jay Bhattacharya to be NIH director and Marty Makary for FDA commissioner.
Why it matters: The moves mark another step in rounding out President Trump's health team after the nomination of Dave Weldon for CDC director was abruptly pulled Thursday morning shortly before his scheduled confirmation hearing.
Driving the news: Bhattacharya advanced on a party line 12-11 vote. Makary advanced on a 14-9 tally, with Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan and John Hickenlooper voting for the nomination.
- Bhattacharya is a Stanford health economist best known for his contrarian views on COVID-19, including co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration that pushed back on many pandemic mitigation measures.
- Makary is a Johns Hopkins physician and researcher who's also questioned some COVID-19 measures like booster shots for children.
Between the lines: Makary's nomination had a last-minute scare over his hiring of Justice Department lawyer Hilary Perkins to be FDA chief counsel.
- Sen. Josh Hawley and anti-abortion groups raised concerns about Perkins' role defending access to abortion pills during the Biden administration.
- The FDA prior to the Senate HELP vote announced that she had resigned from her new role.
