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FDA nominee Heidi Overton faces senators over her abortion pill views on Thursday
September 24, 2026
The Senate health committee questions Heidi Overton, whom Trump picked to run the FDA, on Thursday over her views on abortion and vaccines.
Trump picked Heidi Overton to run the Food and Drug Administration; she had been an America First Policy Institute executive whose papers criticized abortion and transgender care.
Key facts
- Overton, during her time with the America First Policy Institute, attacked the FDA's 2023 move under President Joe Biden to let mifepristone be delivered by mail, calling it "chemical abortion on demand."
- In 2024, Overton was a co-author of an article on Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor then running for vice president, under the title "Tim Walz Made Minnesota A 'Sanctuary' For Baby Killers And Child Mutilators."
- Overton listed student loan debt of between $50,000 and $100,000.
- Last month, Overton appeared with Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, the health secretary, in the Oval Office as the two falsely implied that combination vaccines might play a role in autism.
- Heidi Overton, whom Trump has picked to run the FDA, is set to appear Thursday before the Senate HELP Committee.
Heidi Overton appears on Thursday before the Senate panel that covers health, education, labor and pensions as Trump's choice to run the Food and Drug Administration, AP News reports, and The Hill and Reuters give the same date and panel. Her abortion record draws the most attention in the AP News account. While she held an executive post at the America First Policy Institute, she attacked the agency's 2023 move, made under Joe Biden, that let mifepristone reach patients by mail, and she labeled it "chemical abortion on demand." PBS carries the same material.
The outlets agree on where the vote gets difficult. AP News reports that Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Republicans who have broken with their party to back federal abortion access, sit on the panel, and that her abortion positions could make them harder to win. Collins, AP News adds, is fighting a close reelection race in which abortion is a central issue. The Hill treats the nomination as a test for Collins on abortion, while Reuters pairs questions about vaccines with those about the abortion pill. On vaccines, AP News reports that Overton was in the Oval Office last month beside Trump and Kennedy, the health secretary, when the two falsely linked combination vaccines to autism. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician who chairs the committee, said her backing for a plan to stagger vaccinations came close to disqualifying her.
AP News also reports a 2024 article Overton co-wrote attacking Tim Walz, then Minnesota's governor, and her criticism of the administration's handling of transgender care for children. On her disclosure forms, she lists no holdings in food or health care companies and owes between $50,000 and $100,000 on student loans. Mifepristone has carried FDA approval since 2000, and the agency's officials have given little detail on its review beyond saying it continues. NBC News reports the nomination in light of the tenure of Marty Makary, who stepped down as FDA head. The outlets line up on her record and the hearing date; how the committee, Collins and Murkowski among them, responds is not yet known.
Still developing
The FDA review of mifepristone is ongoing. The stance of Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, moderate Republicans on the panel, on Overton's nomination is the question ahead of the hearing.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- AP News — WATCH LIVE: Senators question Heidi Overton in confirmation hearing for FDA commissioner
- Reuters — Trump's FDA pick to face vaccine, abortion pill questions at US Senate hearing | Reuters
- NBC News — Trump’s FDA pick to face scrutiny over abortion pill access at confirmation hearing
- nytimes.com — Abortion Pills, Vaccines and Food Safety: F.D.A. Nominee Heidi Overton Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing - The New York Times
- The Hill — Sen. Susan Collins faces abortion stance test ahead of FDA nominee Heidi Overton hearing
Toggle read the full reports of all 7 outlets counted on this event.