Henney faces two serious problems. Republicans will want to take advantage of every available position to appoint their own people. Moreover, Henney is anathema to the conservative right because of her role in approving the abortion pill, RU-486. This last problem may be fatal to Henney's chances of keeping her job.
The credibility of FDA's food regulatory programs could be at risk if Bush's commissioner nominee does not understand the critical role of regulation in ensuring consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply.