Washington D.C. — Ahead of the Senate confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s nominee for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Protect Our Care spotlighted Heidi Overton’s disqualifying record that has faced flak from all political directions:
- Pro-Glyphosate: Overton drew “backlash from some MAHA supporters” when she defended the Trump Justice Department’s amicus brief in support of agrochemical giant Monsanto ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively granted Big Chemical immunity from liability claims involving the cancer-linked glyphosate ingredient found in Roundup pesticides.
- Anti-Vax: Last month, Overton stood alongside Donald Trump as he signed his toxic executive order demanding the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be baselessly broken up into separate shots for children over several costly doctor visits, while opening the door for states to loosen school immunization requirements and leaving kids more vulnerable to disease. Overton delivered remarks pushing states to jeopardize kids’ health by codifying the CDC’s watered-down childhood vaccine recommendations into state law.
“Here’s an awful idea: put a glyphosate-loving science denier in charge of the safety of every vaccine, drug, and food product sold to Americans,” said Protect Our Care president Brad Woodhouse. “Hasn’t the rash of recalls, outbreaks and food-borne illnesses on the administration’s watch the past two years been bad enough? What we know already about Heidi Overton’s extreme record should be a deal breaker for any Senator who claims to support public health.
Added Woodhouse: “The big question mark is whether Overton agrees with the FDA opening the floodgates to more harmful fruit flavored vapes and keeping many on the market before even getting final authorization – deregulating poison that specifically appeals to kids just to make Trump’s big tobacco donors richer. Given that the last FDA head was shoved out the door for not going along with Trump’s scheme to make child nicotine addiction great again, there’s no chance Overton didn’t give him assurances she’s willing to do the dirty work.”
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