FDA Faces Succession Questions As Hahn’s Departure Nears
BY DERRICK GINGERY Executive Summary Plan specifying the acting head of the US FDA until new commissioner is confirmed references senior positions that no longer exist.
Commissioner Stephen Hahn plans to leave US Food and Drug Administration when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, but the choice of a temporary replacement is not clear – in part because agency succession plans are outdated. As is tradition, political appointments offer their resignation when a new administration takes office. The incoming president can ask them to stay in their positions, but often they are let go. Hahn is expected to be among the many Trump administration agency heads and other officials that will depart. The agency confirmed that he plans to serve the remainder of his term, which will expire at 12:01 p.m. on 20 January.
10 / January 2021
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