Trump will nominate top cancer doctor Stephen Hahn to run the FDA
There's a new top doctor in town.
President Trump plans to nominate Stephen Hahn to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Friday. Hahn is a top executive at the the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and is well-regarded for his radiation and cancer research, The New York Times reports.
Even before Hahn faces a confirmation process, current acting FDA head Norman Sharpless will return to his spot as the director of the National Cancer Institute as his acting term expires Friday. Brett Giroir, an HHS official, will take his spot temporarily. Sharpless replaced FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb when he stepped down in April.
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In other Cabinet vacancies, Trump still hasn't nominated anyone to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Kirstjen Nielsen was pushed out of the top spot in April, and acting DHS head Kevin McAleenan, who has served since, was set to leave Thursday. He stayed on because Trump hadn't yet chosen a replacement. Trump reportedly wanted to elevate either acting U.S. Customs and Immigration Services head Ken Cuccinelli or acting Customs and Border Protection head Mark Morgan to the spot, but was told they weren't eligible without Senate confirmation. The White House has now reportedly found a loophole that could let Cuccinelli take the job — not that Republicans are thrilled with that.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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