Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 20
Cassidy Threatens to Sink 37-Year-Old Heidi Overton's FDA Bid Over Vaccine Order
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 20

Cassidy Threatens to Sink 37-Year-Old Heidi Overton's FDA Bid Over Vaccine Order

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 20

Summary

  • Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, said Heidi Overton’s role in Trump’s vaccine executive order was “almost disqualifying,” putting her FDA nomination at immediate risk.
  • That order laid out Trump’s plan to reduce recommended childhood vaccines, and Cassidy’s opposition could block Overton in committee before the full Senate gets a vote.
  • MAHA activists are also resisting Overton, criticizing her support for protecting production of a weedkiller linked in some studies to cancer.
  • At 37, Overton is also facing doubts across industry and government about her limited leadership experience and ties to former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, while the White House says she coordinated health policy across multiple agencies.

Insights

With an ongoing food safety crisis, how will the new agency chief navigate the FDA's increasingly unpredictable future?