Marty Makary Confirmed as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
Three Democrats joined all 53 Republicans in supporting Makary's nomination.
For the second time today, the U.S. Senate held a recorded vote to confirm one individual nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the executive branch of government - specifically in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since February 2025. This time the nominee actually earned bipartisan support.
In a 56-44 vote, Martin “Marty” Makary was confirmed as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The position has been led by an acting official since January 2025, when Robert Califf resigned after serving for the second time since February 2022.
Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire joined all 53 Republicans in approving Makary’s nomination. 42 Democrats and two Independents voted in opposition. Every Senator was present for this vote.
Makary was nominated to this position by Trump in November 2024. Currently, he practices surgical oncology and gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery at the John Hopkins Hospital; is Mark Ravitch Chair in Gastrointestinal Surgery at John Hopkins School of Medicine; and is Chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at John Hopkins.
In 2018, Makary was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Notably, he partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop the official World Health Organization Surgical Checklist.
Makary garnered public attention in 2020 responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. While supportive of vaccines, he has been an outspoken critical of vaccine mandates as well as various restrictions at schools. He also criticized the pace in which the FDA developed the mRNA vaccine treating COVID-19 through two doses.