Heidi Overton, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, went before the Senate health committee Thursday, facing questions about her stances on vaccines, flavored vapes, birth control, and abortion, among other issues. She spent nearly two hours stonewalling senators, even on softball questions.
Overton, a physician with a doctoral degree in clinical investigation, is currently the deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. She previously worked at a conservative think tank and has taken a clear stance opposing abortion, raising obvious questions about her objectivity. The FDA is currently reviewing the safety of the abortion pill, mifepristone, despite extensive data showing it is extremely safe.
Overton also notably stood behind President Trump at a press conference in August during which Trump falsely called the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine “ quite lethal.” He further claimed that vaccine doses for infants are “like the size of a soda bottle,” and called for the MMR vaccine to be split into three separate immunizations, despite no evidence of benefit from such a split and no such individual immunizations being available in the US.
Vaccine contradictions
In the hearing, Overton directly contradicted Trump on several occasions, saying at various times that “the MMR vaccine is not lethal” and that “the MMR vaccine is safe and effective.”
Still, when Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), asked “Do you think it’s possible for the president to ever be wrong about something?” Overton dodged. Instead of answering the question, she began spouting a non-answer that started with: “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 cut her off, pressing: “Is it possible for him to be wrong?” But again, Overton was evasive.
Hassan asked her if she thought the MMR vaccine might be lethal. Again, Overton said it was safe and effective. “So,” Hassan asked,"was the president wrong when he suggested that the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine may be lethal?”
“Senator, the president asks questions and wants the best outcomes for the American people right now.”
Hassan kept pressing, switching to Trump’s false claim that Tylenol taken during pregnancy is linked to autism in children. “Was he wrong when he said that? Yes or no?” Again, Overton didn’t answer, only saying “There is no current evidence of a causal link between Tylenol and autism.”
“I wish it wasn’t so difficult for members of the administration to just plainly say that the president’s wrong,” Hassan said. “And it’s really concerning to me that you are equivocating on it here.”
Bad options
Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.) also asked about the vaccine claims Trump made in August, noting that reports suggested it was Overton herself who suggested to Trump that the combination vaccine could be split into multiple shots. Even if there was reason to think splitting the vaccine would improve safety and/or efficacy, it would take huge investments and years of trials to get the individual vaccines approved in the US.
“So obviously,” Blunt-Rochester asked, “you think these were good options, correct?”
Overton replied that, in her current role, her job is to give Trump options.
“You wouldn’t have provided bad options, right?”
But Overton again wouldn’t answer Blunt-Rochester’s question. “This is just a simple question,” Blunt-Rochester interjected. “This, I thought, was the easy question.” Blunt-Rochester went on to ask Overton if she reviewed data about splitting the MMR vaccine or if current doses were the size of a soda bottle, but again she dodged the questions.
Flavored vapes
The FDA has been without a commissioner since May, when Marty Makary resigned from the role after resisting Trump’s pressure to approve flavored vapes. The FDA issued a policy allowing their sale in early May, despite bipartisan opposition to the products, which are largely seen at being marketed to youth.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) laid out a timeline of how it happened, saying:
On April 30th, it’s a Thursday afternoon, Reynolds, one of the biggest tobacco companies in the country, makes an $8 million donation to the president. Two days later on Saturday, because of that donation, they have lunch with the president and they tell him that they want a change in FDA rules, especially regarding flavored vapes. The president calls the FDA commissioner, he calls the secretary of [the health department], and three days later on Tuesday, new guidance is issued that paves the way to the sale of flavored vapes.
Murphy asked Overton if she saw a connection between the donation and the policy change, and if that’s how she thinks the FDA should work. “I reject the framing of that question,” Overton replied, adding that Trump is “committed to the best possible outcomes for American.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) pushed Overton on upcoming plans that the Trump administration has to further ease regulation of tobacco products, including fruity vapes. Kaine asked what Overton, a key domestic policy advisor, knew about the upcoming changes. But Overton would only say that she was “not involved in those discussions.”
“Dr. Overton, now come on, don’t play games with me,” Kaine said. “I didn’t ask whether you were involved in them. I asked, are you aware … are you aware of discussions that is going on about whether the FDA will roll back tobacco safety regulations? And that’s an easy [question]. You’re either aware of them or you’re not.”
After again declining to answer the question, Kaine gave up, saying “Let the record reflect that the witness refused to answer the question. I yield.”
“Pretty good job”
On the topic of birth control and abortion, Overton was equally evasive, refusing to say whether she thinks IUDs (intrauterine devices) are a form of abortion or whether women are polluting the water supply by taking birth control pills—both things anti-abortion groups claim.
Even for friendly questions, Overton refused to answer things directly. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) asked about illegal, imported vapes, something Overton mentioned wanting to crack down on in her opening statement. Moody asked a softball question, simply getting Overton to confirm the FDA’s current rules for vaping products, which allow products to be sold while applications for FDA approvals are pending.
“If someone files an application, they can sell, right?” Moody asked multiple times.
But Overton didn’t answer the question and Moody became frustrated, exclaiming at one point: “I’m just trying to find out what the law is!”
Halfway through the hearing, Murphy summed it up succinctly, telling Overton: “You’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding answering questions.”
