The Senate health committee will vote on the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to head the Food and Drug Administration, the panel’s Republican chairman said on Nov. 11, but he has not yet decided whether to vote to advance the nominee.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will consider the nominations of Overton and James O’Neill, who President Donald Trump picked to direct the National Science Foundation, among other nominees during the Nov. 18 session.
But Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has been in conflict with health officials after alleging Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke some promises to him, said that he might not support the health and science nominees.
“Over the last several months, I have had several frank conversations with both Dr. Overton and Mr. O’Neill about their visions, roles, and the lack of trust that exists due to broken promises and irresponsible decisions from other officials within the Administration,” Cassidy, who lost in the primary race for another term to now Senator-elect Julia Letlow (R-La.), said on X.
“I appreciate their ongoing candid conversations. While I remain undecided on both of their nominations and am aware that other Republican members of the Committee are undecided as well, the Committee is moving forward with noticing their markup in the hopes of resolving their path forward one way or another this Congress.”
The Department of Health and Human Services referred a request for comment to the White House, which did not respond to an inquiry by the time of publication.
Republicans only hold a majority in the Senate until January 2027, when Democrats will take control. Nominees are advanced from committees with majority votes to the full Senate. A majority in the full Senate confirms nominees.
The FDA has been without Senate-confirmed leadership since Dr. Marty Makary resigned in May.
Trump nominated Overton, who had been a White House adviser, to the post of FDA commissioner in August. “We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES,” Trump said on social media at the time.
Overton faced senators during a confirmation hearing the following month. She told senators that vaccines available in the country are safe and effective, as is the mifepristone abortion pill that some senators have called to be removed from the market or restricted.
Cassidy has questioned health nominees on their positions on vaccines after expressing disappointment that Kennedy has taken action to loosen federal vaccine guidance. He told Overton that he needed to know that she would unequivocally support the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. She said the vaccine was the best tool to respond to measles outbreaks.
O’Neill, meanwhile, an investor who used to be Kennedy’s top deputy and acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has not had a confirmation hearing, despite research groups urging Senate health committee leaders to hold one.
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