If his nomination is approved, the longtime associate of Peter Thiel will work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

President-elect Trump has nominated biotech investor Jim O’Neill for deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services department.

The Washington Post reported Monday about Trump’s preference for the deputy HHS secretary role going to O’Neill. The president-elect had previously considered O’Neill for the role of head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as he headed into ...

As HHS secretary, Kennedy has the authority, working with the FDA commissioner, to reorganize the agency without congressional approval. He says he wants to fully eliminate “entire departments” at the FDA, listing as a top target the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which he says can’t be trusted to do its job.

A close adviser to Peter Thiel with ties across Silicon Valley, O'Neill reentered the mix in recent days for the No. 2 HHS job.

The skeptic of some federal drug regulations, and an ally of Peter Thiel, was considered for FDA commissioner in Trump’s first administration.