FDA nominee once urged creation of right-leaning journals and research funding
Heidi Overton, President Trump's pick to lead the FDA, said in a 2023 podcast that conservatives should establish their own academic journals and funding streams to support policy-aligned research. She described a long-term plan to reshape the scientific publishing and research infrastructure toward conservative goals. Overton also criticized existing scientific literature as a barrier to conservative policy.
Overton's background includes serving as chief policy officer at the America First Policy Institute, where she directed the Center for a Healthy America, and earlier work on the COVID-19 response during the first Trump administration. Her 2023 remarks outlined a multi-decade strategy to reshape scientific publishing and funding, including the creation of what she called "alternate systems" for research dissemination.
The White House defended her nomination by citing European policies on gender-affirming care for minors and pointing to the newly formed Academy of Public Health as evidence that alternative scientific venues are emerging. Overton is considered closely aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
If confirmed, Overton's leadership of the FDA could reshape how the agency weighs scientific evidence in regulatory decisions, potentially affecting drug approvals, food safety standards, and public health guidance. Researchers and medical professionals may face pressure to align work with political priorities, while patients could see changes in treatment availability. The broader scientific community may experience increased polarization if funding and publishing increasingly split along ideological lines, potentially eroding public trust in regulatory agencies and evidence-based medicine.