Senators Press Trump’s FDA Nominee Over Independence and Vaccine Policy

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, faced a contentious Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearing on September 24, 2026.

Senators repeatedly questioned whether she would defend scientific evidence and FDA independence if Trump made demands she believed were wrong.

Overton said all FDA-approved vaccines, including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are safe and effective. However, she declined to directly say Trump was wrong after he suggested the combined MMR shot could be “quite lethal.”

Overton said she would give Trump her best advice and follow the statutory requirements governing FDA safety and efficacy decisions, but she did not clearly promise to confront or publicly contradict him.

Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician, and Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about Overton’s role in Trump’s vaccine-schedule executive order and her willingness to protect children’s health and sound science.

Senators also pressed her on the abortion drug mifepristone, nicotine products and the FDA’s relationship with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Her nomination requires approval by the 21-member Senate health committee and then a vote by the full Senate.