Story perspectives

Senate HELP Hearing to Test Heidi Overton’s FDA Nomination

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 2:40 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The Senate HELP Committee will hold a Thursday hearing on Heidi Overton’s nomination to lead the FDA.
Heidi Overton, a 37-year-old preventive-medicine physician, is White House deputy domestic policy director.
Overton called mifepristone “dangerous to women” and praised the 2022 Roe v. Wade overturn.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will demand she call U.S. President Donald Trump’s measles-vaccine claim “absurd”.

History

Historical Context

In 1993 President Bill Clinton ordered the HHS to evaluate mifepristone, following France’s 1988 approval. The FDA gave a conditional license in 1996 and full approval in 2000, leading to medication abortions that made up 63 % of U.S. procedures by 2023. This history underlies the Senate HELP Committee’s 2024 hearing on nominee Heidi Overton’s position on the pill.

1 of 2

Story summary

The Senate HELP Committee will hold a Thursday hearing on Heidi Overton’s nomination to lead the FDA.
Heidi Overton, a 37-year-old preventive-medicine physician, is White House deputy domestic policy director.
Overton called mifepristone “dangerous to women” and praised the 2022 Roe v. Wade overturn.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will demand she call U.S. President Donald Trump’s measles-vaccine claim “absurd”.

1 / 2