Trump’s Healthcare Nominees Pledge to Divest Industry Investments Amid Controversy

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has pledged to divest his industry investments4.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, selected to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will sell shares in healthcare companies like Eli Lilly and UnitedHealth7.

The nominations are part of Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, which aims to reform federal health agencies4.

Bhattacharya, known for his criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns, plans to restructure NIH and decentralize power from "scientific bureaucrats"2.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has proposed significant changes, including pausing NIH's drug development research4.

The appointments have sparked controversy, with some public health experts expressing concern about the nominees' qualifications and potential impact on healthcare policies4.

These nominations represent a shift from Trump's first term priorities, focusing more on agency reform and addressing perceived conflicts of interest4.

The nominees' lack of experience in running large bureaucratic agencies has been noted, though many have media experience in discussing health topics4.

Sources:

2. https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2024/12/02/hhs-nih-picks

4. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/meet-the-health-care-critics-trump-picked-to-lead-top-u-s-health-agencies-under-rfk-jr

7. https://health.wusf.usf.edu/npr-health/2025-02-20/trumps-picks-to-oversee-medicare-and-biomedical-research-will-divest-stock