WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly sidestepped questions about the abortion pill, vaccines and fruit-flavored vapes during her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
Dr. Heidi Overton, a preventive medicine doctor who serves as a domestic policy official in the White House, declined to say whether she personally believes the abortion pill mifepristone is safe, despite previously describing medication abortion as “dangerous to women.” She also wouldn’t say whether Trump was wrong last month when he called the measles vaccine “lethal,” even as she repeatedly affirmed that the vaccine is safe and effective. When pressed, she said that the vaccine is “not lethal.”
Throughout the hearing, senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee tried to pin Overton down on how she would approach the most contentious issues facing the FDA — and whether she would break with Trump when his statements conflict with the agency’s own conclusions.
“You’ve done a pretty good job at avoiding answering questions,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said when grilling Overton on the administration’s recent approval of several fruit-flavored vapes and the FDA scaling back its use of independent advisory committees.
Overton often fell back on the FDA’s existing positions or her responsibility to follow the law rather than giving her own views.
The sharpest questions centered on mifepristone, whose safety the FDA is re-evaluating following pressure from Republicans, including the committee’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., to tighten access to the drug. Cassidy is a key vote in Overton’s confirmation and has pushed the administration to reverse a Biden-era rule that allows mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and sent through the mail.
Prior to joining the White House, Overton worked as chief policy officer at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, where she praised the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and called for strict restrictions on medication abortion. (Studies have shown that the drugs, even when taken at home, are safe and effective.)
Asked repeatedly Thursday whether she personally believes mifepristone is safe, Overton would only say that the FDA currently considers it safe and pointed to the agency’s ongoing safety review.
“Do you agree with the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, which means the agency deems it safe and effective?” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., asked.
Overton responded, “Mifepristone was approved by the FDA as having met its safety and efficacy standard.”
Overton was more direct when asked about the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, calling it “safe and effective” and the country’s “best tool” for responding to measles. But when senators pressed her on Trump’s claim that the vaccine was “lethal,” she repeatedly declined to say whether the president was wrong.
Trump made the claim in August when he announced an executive order aimed at reducing the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children. Overton appeared alongside him. Trump nominated her to lead the agency days later.
Several senators pressed her on the FDA’s decision in May to authorize several fruit-flavored vaping products, a move that came after Trump met with tobacco industry executives. The FDA’s previous commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, resigned in part over the administration’s decision.
Overton defended the authorizations as decisions recommended by career FDA officials, saying there was evidence that flavored vapes could help some adults quit smoking. She declined to weigh in on questions about Trump’s meeting with tobacco executives or his financial ties to the industry.
She also claimed she was not aware of plans by the administration to speed the authorization of additional vaping and nicotine products, despite currently serving as a White House adviser. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the administration planned in the coming days to smooth the way for more tobacco products to enter the market. NBC News has not independently confirmed the Journal’s reporting.
Overton emphasized that keeping vaping products away from children would be a priority if she is confirmed.
“It is critical and a core priority for us to protect kids from these products,” Overton said after Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., asked her whether she was aware that studies have found fruit-flavored vapes attract children and teens.
Overton also said she would crack down on illicit vapes, particularly those from China — a policy effort that has been led by several Republicans.
