Trump FDA pick tests Collins on abortion

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is in the middle of a fight over a Trump health nominee, presenting a key test of her commitment to being an abortion-rights Republican.

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will testify Thursday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Overton, a physician, is a top White House domestic policy adviser on health issues. If confirmed, she would take over an agency roiled by an exodus of top staff and viewed by many in the healthcare industry as less trustworthy and more politicized than it has been in any previous administration.

Collins is likely to clash with Overton’s firm anti-abortion stance and her criticism of FDA regulation of mifepristone.

Overton is an outspoken opponent of abortion and has called for more restrictions on prescribing mifepristone, one of two drugs taken for medication abortion.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Overton celebrated the ruling, saying it “will allow Americans to reevaluate the value of the potential of every baby in the womb and choose life through a democratic process.”

Overton has also called on policymakers to halt efforts to allow “abortion on demand” through telehealth prescribing of mifepristone.

Collins has stayed relatively quiet about any potential concerns she may have with Overton.

In a brief interview Wednesday, Collins told The Hill she raised the issue of abortion during a private half-hour meeting with Overton.

“That’s one issue, but another is vaccines and third is the slow pace that FDA approves treatments and medications in cases where there are rare diseases for which there are no medications currently on the market,” Collins said. “So these are all issues that I’ve raised with her in our private meeting in my office, and I’m sure will come up” during Thursday’s hearing.

Overton’s nomination was cheered by anti-abortion advocates who want the FDA to put more restrictions on mifepristone.

“This is a chance to restore trust and put health over politics,” said Lila Rose, president of Live Action, in a statement on the social platform X when Overton was nominated. “Dr. Overton should pull the deadly abortion pill from the market. Step one: end mail-order abortions that kill babies even in pro-life states.”

The hearing comes as the FDA is conducting a safety review of the drug that abortion-rights advocates condemn as politically driven.

Republicans and anti-abortion leaders are pressing the FDA to reverse a Biden-era rule that allows mifepristone to be mailed and dispensed through telehealth, not just in person. They also want the FDA to declare mifepristone as not safe and pull it from the market, despite it being used for decades with minimal negative side effects.

“If [Overton] becomes the head of FDA, this likely lands on her desk,” said Dr. Rob Davidson, an emergency physician and executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “It doesn’t seem like she’s just going to be an arbiter of science when it comes to that particular issue.”

Overton needs the support of every GOP senator to advance out of committee, if all Democrats vote against her.

HELP Committee Republicans have favorably advanced every Trump health nominee who had a vote before the committee. Casey Means, whose nomination for U.S. surgeon general stalled, was withdrawn before a final vote.

Collins is facing a tough reelection campaign where abortion is one of the top issues of her race, and Democrats are seeking to undermine her reputation as one of the last Republican supporters of abortion rights.

Collins is under fire for her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who became the deciding vote to overturn Roe. She is also facing heat for her support of dozens of other federal judges nominated by Trump, several of whom have ruled to uphold state laws restricting or eliminating abortion rights.

Collins is running for reelection for the second time since voting to confirm Kavanaugh, but it’s the first time she has faced voters since Roe was overturned in 2022.

Her opponent, Democrat Troy Jackson, has been endorsed by abortion-rights advocacy groups, who have invested heavily in the race.

“Susan Collins has betrayed Americans time and time again — from helping the federal government dismantle abortion access by casting the deciding vote for Brett Kavanaugh, to voting for dozens of extreme anti-abortion judges. Susan Collins only pretends to back abortion when an election is on the horizon,” said Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All.

Adrienne Kimmell, a political strategist working with Free & Just, a reproductive rights group, added, “There’s no gray area in terms of where Overton stands on abortion. It’s very much black and white.

“She is anti-abortion. She opposes mifepristone. She opposes legislation that would expand access to reproductive health care. She celebrated the fall of Roe,” Kimmell said. “A yes vote [from Collins] really would, I think, pretty much end any argument that she is interested in protecting access to reproductive freedom.”

Free & Just is running a six-figure digital ad campaign in Maine, calling on voters to tell Collins to oppose Overton’s nomination. It is also running a billboard truck around Capitol Hill during the hearing.

“Every woman in Maine remembers what happened the last time Senator Collins took a nominee at their word about Roe,” said Gowri Buddiga, campaign director at Free & Just, in a statement. “Heidi Overton has already told us who she is … Senator Collins needs to vote no.”

Collins recently sought to bolster her abortion-rights credentials when she voted against confirming Attorney General Todd Blanche in August.

Collins said her opposition was due in part to Blanche’s call with religious leaders , where he promised to help roll back abortion access nationwide and restrict the mailing of mifepristone.

But Democrats criticized her for that vote too, saying she opposed Blanche only because he had the votes to be confirmed without her.

Both Davidson and Kimmell said Collins opposing Overton won’t make up for her support of Kavanaugh or other anti-abortion nominees.

“This doesn’t absolve her of her past sins,” Davidson said. “If she genuinely cares about the people in Maine and their right to have an abortion, she has to tank this nominee.”