FDA pick sidesteps tough questions

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), walked a fine line Thursday on vaccines and abortion, largely dodging difficult questions from senators.

During the two-hour hearing, Overton cited existing FDA policy or guidance, revealing very little of her own opinions on a host of topics like childhood vaccines and the abortion drug mifepristone.

Despite repeated questioning, Overton wouldn’t directly answer whether Trump was wrong in his criticism of vaccines , and declined to say if she would stand up to the president or Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Overton voiced support for established vaccines, seemingly contradicting President Trump , who called the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine “lethal.”

“Every vaccine on the market right now are safe and effective,” including the MMR vaccine, Overton said, under questioning from Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

But when Cassidy and ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked what she’d do if Trump or Kennedy pushed her to roll back the childhood vaccine schedule, Overton dodged , saying only that she would “follow the law” and the statutory requirements.

Overton is a top domestic policy adviser at the White House and a former chief policy adviser at a conservative think tank. She worked on a variety of administration health initiatives, including an executive order to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines and splitting up the MMR shot.

Cassidy previously wrote on social media that Overton’s role in that executive order was “ almost disqualifying .”

Overton called that order “historic” and stood beside Trump in the Oval Office when he falsely claimed that the combined MMR shot could be “ quite lethal .”

In the hearing, Overton defended the order , saying it would give more options to parents.

Despite expressing support for the MMR shot, Overton did not answer Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) when he asked why she didn’t push back on Trump’s statement.

When Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) asked about Trump saying the amount of vaccine children receive is the “size of a bottle of soda,” Overton merely replied that “the products licensed by the FDA are safe and effective.”

Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter , we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond:

The anti-abortion group Students for Life of America on Thursday filed a notice of intent to sue the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over alleged inaction over the Endangered Species Act, an escalation of the group’s years-long effort to use environmental laws to restrict abortion drugs …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added one measles death to its online database, marking the first fatal case the agency has acknowledged tied to the country’s 2026 outbreak. While CDC’s website does not list when and where the death occurred, the update follows weeks of criticism from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) over the omission of his state’s four reported measles-related deaths …

A key Senate committee Thursday advanced the nomination of Chris Klomp to be deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), setting him up for a later floor vote for confirmation. The Senate Finance Committee voted 15-12, with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joining all Republicans. Klomp is already a powerful senior adviser to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has led negotiations over “most …

The Senate on Thursday defeated a House-passed resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from the conflict with Iran, despite growing dissatisfaction among GOP senators over President Trump’s handling of the war.

Local and state headlines on healthcare:

Trump boast on drug pricing policy overstated state-level interest in federal program ( Stat )

After Medicaid ban, Kentucky Planned Parenthood says it’s ‘not going anywhere’ ( Kentucky Lantern )

Walmart hit with $16 million California settlement over expired products ( San Francisco Chronicle )

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

States can now access covid vaccines for low-income children , after delay ( The Washington Post )

Black lung disease remains a threat, but federal officials delay effort to address it ( KFF Health News )

These 6 charts show how NIH research funding has been reshaped under Trump ( NPR )

Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:

Check out The Hill’s Healthcare page for the latest coverage.

400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001