Donald Trump’s inexperienced, anti-vax, pro-glyphosate pick to run the FDA is getting a chilly reception from MAHA leaders, Republican HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, all Senate Democrats, and the pharmaceutical industry alike. Dr. Overton’s starring role in the rollout of Trump’s deadly anti-vax executive order that is political poison for Republicans is certainly doing her nomination prospects no favors.
- Reuters: Trump picks White House ally Overton to lead embattled FDA: The choice of Overton, an ally of Makary, may deepen concerns among drugmakers and some FDA staff seeking stability after months of upheaval. Chris Meekins, a former Trump health official who is now an analyst at Raymond James, said industry groups are likely to view Overton’s lack of management experience negatively and warned her appointment could accelerate staff departures and reverse progress made since Makary’s exit. […] Overton spoke at a White House event last week at which Trump announced a new executive order that calls for significantly cutting back the national childhood vaccination schedule and splitting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots, which pharmaceutical companies said could take years.
- The Atlantic: A policy wonk who could lead the FDA has angered “Make America Healthy Again” activists: Overton’s detractors describe her as one of the biggest obstacles to MAHA actually realizing its priorities—“the controlled opposition,” one person who has worked with her told us. They accuse her of slow-walking marijuana rescheduling, trying to limit MAHA changes to federal nutrition guidelines, and delaying or weakening several other initiatives.
- The Hill: Trump’s FDA nominee draws mixed reception: Last week, she stood beside Trump when he announced an executive order aimed at reducing and separating the childhood vaccine schedule. At the time, she urged blue states to follow the administration’s “gold standard” recommendations, which were widely denounced by most pediatricians, major medical groups and public health experts. Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, slammed her nomination, saying in a statement, “Handing the FDA to Heidi Overton is like handing an arsonist keys to the fire department. She stood there and applauded while Trump tore up the vaccine schedule without any scientific basis. Now Trump wants her responsible for the safety of every vaccine, drug, and food product Americans put into their bodies.” […]
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate health committee that will preside over Overton’s confirmation, said on social media that her involvement with Trump’s vaccine order was “almost disqualifying.” “While I respect Dr. Overton’s experience as a physician, I have strong concerns about her nomination to be FDA Commissioner,” Cassidy wrote on X. “Her lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization that is already dealing with staffing and morale issues,” he added. “Additionally, Dr. Overton’s active role in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order calls into question her commitment to standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health.” - Axios: Overton may not offer the reassurance the pharmaceutical industry was looking for in new leadership, though acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas has taken big steps toward repairing the agency’s relationship with industry. What they’re saying: “Overton has degrees but seemingly no real experience running anything. Her claim to fame is having been a Makary protege who has bought further into anti-science and anti-vaccine messaging of elements of MAHA,” Raymond James analyst and former Trump health official Chris Meekins told Axios.
- Bloomberg Law: Overton draws backlash from MAHA supporters: Heidi Overton … is already drawing criticism from key lawmakers and activists aligned with the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Some advocates backing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda worry Overton’s selection could ensnare policy initiatives to fight chronic disease, pointing to her involvement in the administration’s handling of pesticide policy they say indicates she supports corporate interests over MAHA initiatives. […] “The great hope for MAHA was to eliminate corporate capture of our agencies. Overton has never shown that intention, and in fact parrots corporate talking points,” said Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA advocate who met with White House officials including Overton in April to discuss the administration’s actions on pesticides. In that meeting, Overton defended the administration’s amicus brief supporting Bayer AG‘s Supreme Court plea for relief from thousands of lawsuits alleging the company’s product Roundup causes cancer, Ryerson said. Alexandra Munoz, an independent toxicologist and MAHA advocate, said she’s worried Overton’s defense of Bayer and involvement in an executive order promoting domestic production of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, may inform decision-making on the FDA’s recently proposed rule to bolster food additives oversight. “It just looks like this could be an attempt to put somebody in a position to block that rule, because it could have really serious implications for many food industries,” Munoz said.
- Politico: Trump’s pick to lead the FDA faces uphill Senate battle: Cassidy could deny her the committee vote she needs, or simply join Democrats in voting her down there. The Senate would then never get the chance to consider her. Cassidy isn’t Overton’s only stumbling block. Many in Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again coalition dislike her for backing Trump’s decision to protect the manufacturing of a weedkiller they believe causes cancer. […] Her anti-abortion record and her work for and against several Make America Healthy Again policy initiatives have also won her detractors across Washington. Two Republican supporters of abortion rights, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, would have to vote to advance her from the Senate Health Committee.
- STAT News: How Trump loyalist Heidi Overton became the president’s pick to run the FDA: Steven Grossman, author of the blog FDA Matters and a former Reagan-era HHS senior official, suggested Overton’s closeness to the White House is a liability. “I am concerned about … her apparent willingness to undercut vaccines, and — especially given her close White House ties — her understanding of science-based decisionmaking” […] Still, many MAHA activists are convinced Overton has been to blame for stalled policy initiatives and slow progress in the first half of the Trump administration. Kelly Ryerson, a MAHA advocate who previously met with administration officials about its health agenda, said in a post on X that Overton’s nomination was “witnessing the steep fall into depths of the swamp.” Toby Rogers, a fellow at the MAHA-aligned Brownstone Institute, wrote on social media that Overton had “purged all of the MAHA reformers from FDA and CDC.” “MAHA has turned into a nightmare,” Rogers wrote.
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