Dr. Margaret Hamburg , President Obama's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, made it through her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday unscathed. Her confirmation seems likely and may come as early as next week.

“I want you to know that I support you,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, “and I intend to help you not only to get through this process but to do your job out there.” (The New York Times.)

"The American people place a huge amount of trust in the FDA. It is critical that we take steps to boost their confidence, particularly when it comes to the safety of drugs and foods," Hamburg told the Senate health committee. (The Washington Post)

Prior to the hearing, the Obama administration released its proposed budget for next year, which included increasing the FDA's budget by $500 million, $215 of which would come from registration and user fees not yet enacted by Congress. Of the $500 million, $259 million would go to food safety.

If confirmed, food safety will be one of Hamburg's biggest challenges but the first thing on her plate will be overseeing development of a vaccine for the swine flu.