Trump's FDA pick faces Senate questions

Heidi Overton, Trump's nominee to lead the FDA, appeared before the Senate health committee Thursday. She spent nearly two hours avoiding direct answers on vaccines, vapes, birth control, and abortion.

Overton's background raises objectivity concerns

Overton is a physician with a doctoral degree in clinical investigation and currently serves as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. She previously worked at a conservative think tank and has opposed abortion.

Trump made false vaccine claims in August

Trump called the MMR vaccine "quite lethal," claimed infant vaccine doses are "like the size of a soda bottle," and called for splitting the MMR vaccine into three shots. No evidence supports any of these claims.

“quite lethal”

Overton contradicted Trump on vaccine safety

During the hearing, Overton said the MMR vaccine is "safe and effective" and "not lethal." But she refused to directly say whether Trump was wrong about his vaccine claims.

“the MMR vaccine is safe and effective”

Senator pressed her on presidential fallibility

Sen. Maggie Hassan asked if Overton thought the president could ever be wrong. Overton dodged, saying she had "robust discussions" with Trump instead of answering the direct question.

“I've had the privilege of working for the president for over a year and a half and have had robust discussions with him”

Hassan pushed on Tylenol and autism claim

Hassan asked if Trump was wrong when he claimed Tylenol taken during pregnancy is linked to autism. Overton only said there is no evidence of a causal link, refusing to directly say Trump was wrong.

“There is no current evidence of a causal link between Tylenol and autism”

Did Overton suggest splitting the vaccine?

Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester noted reports suggested Overton herself recommended splitting the MMR vaccine to Trump. Overton said her job is to give Trump options but refused to say if splitting the vaccine was a good option.

Tobacco donation preceded vape policy change

Sen. Chris Murphy detailed how Reynolds Tobacco donated 8 million dollars on April 30th, met with Trump two days later, and three days after that the FDA issued guidance allowing flavored vapes. Overton rejected the framing of a connection.

Overton dodged questions about tobacco rollbacks

Sen. Tim Kaine asked what Overton knew about plans to ease tobacco regulation, including fruity vapes. She said she was "not involved in those discussions," refusing to say if she was even aware of them.

“not involved in those discussions”

Even friendly questions went unanswered

Republican Sen. Ashley Moody asked a softball question about FDA vaping rules. Overton still refused to give a direct answer, frustrating Moody who said she was just trying to find out what the law is.

“I'm just trying to find out what the law is”

Murphy summed up the hearing's pattern

Midway through the hearing, Sen. Chris Murphy told Overton: "You've done a pretty good job of avoiding answering questions." Her evasiveness on vaccines, vapes, and abortion raised serious concerns about her fitness for the role.

“You've done a pretty good job of avoiding answering questions”