Makary is one step closer to confirmation. (Getty Images)
During his hearing, the nominee faced scrutiny over an FDA vaccine meeting that was reportedly postponed at the last minute.
"So if you are confirmed, will you commit to immediately reschedule that FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting to get the expert views?" Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked Makary at the time.
He responded that he "would reevaluate which topics deserve a convening of the advisory committee members on [Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee] and which may not require a convening."
When this response wasn't good enough for Murray, Makary flipped the question, telling her to confront the Biden administration. "Well, you can ask the Biden administration that chose not to convene the committee meeting for the COVID vaccine booster," he said.
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Signage is seen outside the FDA headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, on Aug. 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
Committee member Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the administration's move, saying, "We’re being asked to approve this as a three-dose vaccine for people 16 years of age and older, without any clear evidence if the third dose for a younger person when compared to an elderly person is of value."
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President Joe Biden receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot inside the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington on Oct. 25, 2022. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Makary has long been a critic of the administration he is poised to lead. He wrote an opinion piece in 2021, calling for "fresh leadership at the FDA to change the culture at the agency and promote scientific advancement, not hinder it."
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"We now have a generational opportunity in American healthcare," he said at his hearing. "President Trump and Secretary Kennedy's focus on healthy foods has galvanized a grassroots movement in America. Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer's is not a genetic cause. We should be, and we will, be addressing food as it impacts our health."
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-fda-pick-clears-last-hurdle-after-flipping-vaccine-question-dem-confirmation-hearing