Senators to question FDA nominee about her views on abortion pill and
vaccines
[September 24, 2026]
By MATTHEW PERRONE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the Food
and Drug Administration is set to answer questions Thursday, with Senate
lawmakers likely to focus on her plans for vaccines, the abortion pill
and other products that have come under new scrutiny at the regulatory
agency.
Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and top White House aide, has spent most
of her career working for Trump or conservative groups aligned with his
agenda. That connection may prompt questions from some members of the
Senate health committee which is considering her nomination.
In her current role as a domestic policy adviser, Overton worked on
several White House health initiatives, including the revamped food
pyramid and efforts to overhaul childhood vaccines. Previously she was
an executive at the America First Policy Institute, authoring papers
critical of abortion and transgender care. During Trump’s first term,
she served as a White House fellow.
If confirmed by the Senate, Overton would inherit a raft of
controversial projects, including a safety review of the nation’s
principal abortion drug, a plan to break up combination vaccines and new
rules that make it easier to sellflavored electronic cigarettes.
All three policies break from FDA’s longstanding positions, especially
on the safety of childhood vaccines. Overton stood beside Trump and
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in the Oval Office last month when
they falsely suggested that the use of combination vaccines could be a
contributor to autism.
Health committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana,
called Overton’s support for that plan to space out vaccinations “almost
disqualifying.”
But Cassidy and other Senate Republicans may find common ground with
Overton on abortion. Cassidy and several colleagues have spent months
urging the FDA to restrict access to mifepristone, the pill currently
used in most abortions in the U.S.
The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000 and has repeatedly affirmed
its safety while broadening access, including allowing it to be sent
through the mail. But Kennedy ordered a reevaluation of the drug’s
safety last year, following calls from anti-abortion groups and
lawmakers aligned with Trump.
FDA officials have said almost nothing about the review, except that it
is ongoing.
While working at the America First Policy Institute, Overton blasted the
FDA’s 2023 decision — under President Joe Biden — to allow mail delivery
of mifepristone, referring to the practice as “chemical abortion on
demand.”
She was similarly critical of the administration’s approach to
transgender care for children, including providing access to
puberty-blocking drugs and gender-affirming surgeries.
Overton co-authored a 2024 article about then-vice presidential
candidate and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, titled: “Tim Walz Made
Minnesota A ‘Sanctuary’ For Baby Killers And Child Mutilators.”
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Dr. Heidi Overton, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic
Policy Council, speaks about IVF during an event in the Oval Office
of the White House with President Donald Trump, Oct. 16, 2025, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
 Overton’s abortion views could
complicate her efforts to win over two moderate Republicans on the
panel: Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both
have bucked their party on the issue, supporting federal access to
abortion. Collins is currently locked in a tight reelection race
where abortion access is a central issue.
To become commissioner, Overton will need a majority of votes from
the 21-member health committee, followed by a positive vote from the
full Senate.
Headquartered in the suburbs outside Washington, the FDA oversees
U.S. medical products plus billions of dollars in food, cosmetics,
tobacco and vaping products.
Under the current administration, leading the agency has involved
balancing Trump’s demands for slashing regulations — such as those
for vaping products — alongside Kennedy’s interests in scrutinizing
vaccines, drugs and food ingredients.
Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr.
Marty Makary, who resigned in May. Makary's time at the agency was
defined by scientific disputes, leadership changes and a string of
media stories detailing low morale and internal dysfunction among
staffers. The FDA has lost about 20% of its employees to layoffs,
buyouts, retirements or resignations since Trump took office.
Overton studied under Makary at Johns Hopkins University, where she
received a doctoral degree in clinical research after earning her
medical degree at the University of New Mexico.
Like Makary, Overton has no experience running a large bureaucracy,
a critical skill for steering the FDA's 16,000 staffers spread
across numerous U.S. and international locations.
In financial disclosure forms, Overton reported no investments in
health care or food companies. That’s a stark contrast to Makary and
other recent FDA nominees who have had to divest investments or cut
other financial ties with companies regulated by the FDA.
Overton reported $50,000 to $100,000 in student loans.
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