Senate lawmakers are set to question Dr. Heidi Overton on Thursday as she seeks confirmation to head the Food and Drug Administration, with her plans for vaccines, abortion medication, and other newly scrutinized products expected to take center stage.
A physician and top White House adviser, Overton has spent much of her career working for Trump or conservative groups aligned with his agenda. Those political connections are likely to prompt questions from members of the Senate health committee considering her nomination.
In her current role as a domestic policy adviser, Overton has worked on several White House health initiatives, including the revised food pyramid and efforts to overhaul childhood vaccines. She previously served as an executive at the America First Policy Institute, authoring papers critical of abortion and transgender care, after serving as a White House fellow during Trump’s first term.
If confirmed by the Senate, Overton would inherit a series of controversial projects, including a safety review of the nation’s primary abortion drug, a plan to break up combination vaccines, and new rules making it easier to sell flavored electronic cigarettes.
All three policies mark a departure from longstanding FDA positions, particularly regarding the safety of childhood vaccines. Overton stood alongside Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in the Oval Office last month when they falsely suggested that using combination vaccines could contribute to autism.
The health committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana, called Overton’s support for that plan to space out vaccinations "almost disqualifying."
However, 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 mailed. 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 disclosed almost nothing about the review, except that it remains ongoing.
While working at the America First Policy Institute, Overton strongly criticized 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 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."
Overton’s positions on abortion could complicate her efforts to secure support from two moderate Republicans on the panel: Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both have bucked their party on the issue by supporting federal access to abortion, and 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 along with billions of dollars in food, cosmetics, tobacco, and vaping goods.
Under the current administration, leading the agency means balancing Trump’s demands to slash regulations — such as those on vaping products — with Kennedy’s drive to scrutinize vaccines, drugs, and food ingredients.
Those competing demands 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 media reports detailing low morale and internal dysfunction among staffers. The agency has lost about 20% of its workforce to layoffs, buyouts, retirements, or resignations since Trump took office.
Overton studied under Makary at Johns Hopkins University and earned a doctoral degree in clinical research after completing her medical degree at the University of New Mexico.
Like Makary, Overton has no experience running a large bureaucracy, a key skill for directing the FDA’s 16,000 employees spread across domestic and international locations.
In financial disclosure forms, Overton reported no investments in health care or food companies. That contrasts sharply with Makary and other recent FDA nominees who had to divest investments or cut other financial ties with companies regulated by the agency.
Overton reported holding $50,000 to $100,000 in student loans.
