Dr. Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, repeatedly declined to say Trump was wrong about vaccine and Tylenol safety claims during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health Committee.
Overton appeared before the committee on Thursday, where she faced questioning on vaccines, tobacco regulation and the abortion pill mifepristone. Trump nominated Overton, a White House domestic policy adviser, last month to succeed Marty Makary, who resigned in May after clashing with administration officials over drug, vaccine and vaping policy. Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) had previously called Overton's role in the administration's vaccine order "almost disqualifying."
Vaccine Dodge
At the hearing, covered by the Associated Press, Cassidy pressed Overton on whether the MMR vaccine is safe after Trump called it "quite lethal." Overton said, "The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. It is not lethal." Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) repeatedly asked whether Trump was wrong to make that claim and to say Tylenol causes autism; Overton would not answer directly, saying only, "If I'm confirmed as FDA commissioner, I will communicate what is known about the medications."
Tobacco Interference Claims
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) laid out a timeline in which tobacco company Reynolds (a subsidiary of British American Tobacco PLC (BTI)) donated $8 million to Trump, met with him days later, and the FDA authorized flavored vapes three days after that, followed by Makary's exit. "That is the definition of political interference in FDA decision-making," Murphy said.
Overton said she "reject[s] the framing of that question." Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) separately noted Trump holds $1.64 million in Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) and Altria Group Inc. (MO) and outlined a similar May timeline tied to flavored vape approvals.
Mifepristone Contradiction
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Overton's claim that mifepristone is "safe and effective as labeled" conflicts with the FDA's court position admitting the Biden-era safety strategy wasn't adequately tested. Overton said the ongoing internal safety review remains critical and that the agency's position has not changed. Separately, Overton told Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) the FDA has an update due to a Louisiana court on Oct. 7 regarding the review's status.
No committee vote was taken; senators have until Sept. 25 to submit written questions.
