Trump's FDA pick Overton to face vaccine, abortion pill questions at Senate hearing

The US Senate health committee is set to hold a confirmation hearing on Thursday for Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The hearing will also consider the nomination of Nicole Saphier for surgeon general. Overton, a White House policy aide and preventive medicine physician, has previously worked at the conservative America First Policy Institute. Her nomination comes as the FDA faces challenges including significant staff departures and pressure to restore confidence. Senator Bill Cassidy, the committee's Republican chairman, is expected to question Overton on vaccine policies, particularly concerning an executive order from Trump that sought to alter the childhood vaccination schedule. Overton's stance on abortion, including her support for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, is also anticipated to draw scrutiny from Democrats and abortion-rights advocates. The FDA is currently reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone, with a court-ordered deadline of October 7 for an update on its progress. Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, has previously expressed support for immunization and agreed that vaccines do not cause autism, countering claims promoted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.