Trump’s FDA nominee draws bipartisan skepticism over abortion pill and vaccines

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to lead the FDA, told the Senate HELP Committee Thursday that mifepristone and the MMR vaccine are both safe and effective, even as she declined to say how she would handle an ongoing FDA safety review of the abortion pill. Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Republican, pressed her on a 2025 executive order breaking up the vaccine schedule, calling it based on ‘zero scientific evidence’ and demanding she resist ‘uninformed ideologies,’ even from the president.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray raised a 2023 policy brief Overton co-authored describing abortion as ‘corrosive to children, women, and society,’ while Overton would not say whether an IUD counts as an abortifacient. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley pushed her to clarify whether her hearing answers matched the administration's own position in ongoing litigation, warning a mismatch ‘could be news to the court.’

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she suspects ‘political pressure’ on FDA officials to revisit approved products' status, warning that ending telehealth mifepristone dispensing would strand roughly 80% of Alaska communities from access. The FDA itself declined to comment, citing active litigation.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.