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Trump's FDA Pick Overton Sidesteps Key Questions at Hearing
Confirmed
In Short: Sen. Bill Cassidy, a key vote in Overton’s confirmation, has pushed the administration to reverse a Biden-era rule that allows mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and sent through the mail.
Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), faced tough questioning Thursday from senators on her stance on abortion pills, vaccines, and flavored vapes.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., criticized Overton for avoiding direct answers, particularly on the FDA's recent approval of fruit-flavored vapes and its reduced use of independent advisory committees.
Overton, a physician and top White House aide, sidestepped questions about the safety of mifepristone, the leading abortion pill, repeatedly pointing to the FDA's current stance that the drug is safe.
When pressed on the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, Overton was more direct, calling it 'safe and effective' and the country's 'best tool' for responding to measles.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., asked Overton about the attraction of fruit-flavored vapes to children and teens, to which Overton responded that protecting kids from such products is a 'core priority.
Overton also pledged to crack down on illicit vapes, particularly those from China, a policy effort that has been championed by several Republicans.
Throughout the hearing, senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee tried to pin Overton down on how she would handle contentious issues at the FDA.
Overton often fell back on the FDA’s existing positions or her responsibility to follow the law rather than giving her own views.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a key vote in Overton’s confirmation, has pushed the administration to reverse a Biden-era rule that allows mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and sent through the mail.
To become commissioner, Overton will need a majority of votes from the 21-member health committee, followed by a positive vote from the full Senate.
What this adds
Overton's views on vaccines and abortion drugs have come under new scrutiny at the FDA under Trump and Health Secretary Robert F.
Background
Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will face a confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee on Thursday.
Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is facing scrutiny after an autism center run by her longtime friend Nimco Ahmed, who stood beside her in a viral video, is under investigation for fraud.
What's confirmed
- WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly sidestepped questions about the abortion pill, vaccines and fruit-flavored vapes during her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
What's still developing
- Prior to joining the White House, Overton worked as chief policy officer at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, where she praised the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and called for strict restrictions on medication abortion. (Studies have shown that the drugs, even when taken at home, are safe and effective.) Asked repeatedly Thursday whether she personally believes mifepristone is safe, Overton would only say that the FDA currently considers it safe and pointed to the agency’s ongoing safety review.
- Heidi Overton, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks about IVF during an event in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Oct.
- Both have come under new scrutiny at the FDA under Trump and Health Secretary Robert F.
- Heidi Overton, a physician and top White House aide, has spent most of her career working for Trump or conservative groups aligned with his agenda.