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President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly sidestepped questions about some of the agency’s most politically charged issues Thursday, offering senators few direct answers about abortion medication, vaccines and flavored vaping products.
Dr. Heidi Overton, a preventive medicine physician and White House official, repeatedly pointed to existing FDA standards and said she would follow federal law when senators pressed her on whether she would maintain the agency’s current positions or change them if confirmed.
The hearing exposed a central question surrounding her nomination: How independently would Overton run the FDA when the agency’s scientific conclusions collide with the priorities or public statements of the president who nominated her? Senators from both parties pressed her on that issue, but she largely avoided committing to specific positions.
Mifepristone puts her past views under scrutiny
The sharpest questioning focused on mifepristone, the medication used in most medication abortions in the United States.
The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 and has repeatedly determined that the drug meets its safety and effectiveness standards. The agency is nevertheless conducting a new safety review after pressure from abortion opponents and Trump administration officials.
Overton previously took a much more critical position on the drug.
While working for the conservative America First Policy Institute, she described medication abortion as “dangerous to women” and criticized the FDA’s decision to allow mifepristone to be prescribed through telemedicine and sent through the mail.
But when Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked whether she personally believes mifepristone is safe, Overton declined to offer a direct personal assessment.
Instead, she said the drug had met the FDA’s safety and efficacy standards and emphasized that she did not want to prejudge the agency’s ongoing review.
That answer left senators with a broader question about whether Overton’s past advocacy would influence her decisions if she takes control of the agency.
She affirms vaccine safety but won’t directly challenge Trump
Overton was more definitive when asked about vaccines.
She told senators that vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are safe and effective and specifically described the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as safe and effective. She also called the MMR shot the country’s best tool for responding to measles outbreaks.
But senators also wanted to know whether she would directly contradict Trump when his public statements conflict with those conclusions.
Trump recently suggested that the MMR vaccine could be “lethal,” while standing alongside Overton at the White House. Overton declined to say that the president was wrong, instead emphasizing that Trump sets administration policy and that she would provide him with her best advice.
That distinction became one of the defining moments of the hearing: Overton endorsed the safety of the vaccine while declining to directly repudiate the president’s characterization of it.
Senators also press her on flavored vapes
Overton faced similar scrutiny over the FDA’s recent authorization of several fruit-flavored vaping products.
The approvals have drawn criticism because flavored products can appeal to young people, while the FDA has also said some vaping products could help adults move away from combustible cigarettes.
Overton defended the agency’s decisions, saying they were based on evidence and recommendations from career FDA officials. She said protecting children from vaping would be a priority while also defending the potential role of vaping products in helping some adults quit smoking.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., criticized Overton for repeatedly avoiding direct answers during the hearing.
“You’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding answering questions so far,” Murphy told her, according to reporting on the hearing.
Overton also declined to weigh in on questions about Trump’s interactions with tobacco executives and his financial ties to the industry.
The bigger question: How independent would the FDA be?
The hearing repeatedly returned to the FDA’s independence.
Overton said she would follow statutory requirements, review the evidence and comply with the law. But senators pressed her on what she would do if Trump asked her to take an action that conflicted with the agency’s scientific conclusions.
She did not offer a broad pledge to oppose the president.
That issue comes as the FDA faces competing pressures from Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines, abortion medication and other areas of public health policy. The agency is also dealing with staffing losses and broader efforts by the administration to reshape federal health policy.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held the confirmation hearing Thursday as it considers whether to advance Overton’s nomination.
For Overton, the hearing offered senators a clearer picture of where she stands on some scientific questions. But on the larger question of whether she would independently challenge the president, she largely left that answer unresolved.
