On Wednesday, the chairman of the Senate health committee voiced strong reservations about President Trump’s nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration, criticizing her backing of what he labeled a nonsensical vaccine executive order issued the previous week.
“That alone is nearly disqualifying,” said Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the committee, in a social‑media post.
His remarks came just hours after President Trump announced the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic‑policy official, to succeed Dr. Marty Makary, who stepped down from the FDA in May. Cassidy’s comment signaled that Overton’s confirmation could face an uphill battle.
For her nomination to move to a full Senate vote, Overton must first secure approval from the health committee, which will likely require the backing of every Republican member.
The White House swiftly defended Overton. Spokesman Kush Desai noted that she had spent the past year and a half coordinating an interagency policymaking process with senior officials to advance the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.
“We look forward to her prompt confirmation by the Senate,” Desai added.
Nevertheless, Overton’s nomination drew criticism from certain MAHA leaders, who are dissatisfied with the president over an earlier executive order intended to boost glyphosate production—a Bayer weedkiller that some scientists have associated with cancer.
Kelly Ryerson, an environmental activist who has claimed the Trump administration is “entirely owned by Bayer and the chemical companies,” said in a text message that she opposes Overton’s nomination. Ryerson was among several MAHA leaders invited to the White House in April to meet with Trump and his aides in an attempt to ease tensions over glyphosate production.
“During the White House MAHA meeting, Overton echoed all of Bayer’s talking points,” Ryerson said. “She exemplifies how corporate influence could dominate the FDA and stands as an adversary of MAHA, continuing the chemical poisoning of the American people.”
The Senate remains in recess until mid‑September, and Cassidy has not indicated whether or when he will schedule a confirmation hearing for Overton. A physician and staunch vaccine advocate, Cassidy has repeatedly blamed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for undermining confidence in vaccine safety.
In his social‑media post, Cassidy accused Overton of seemingly encouraging such doubts. She stood beside President Trump last week when he signed a third executive order urging fewer childhood vaccinations—a directive that carries no legal weight and has drawn widespread criticism from public‑health experts.
“While I respect Dr. Overton’s background as a physician, I have serious concerns about her nomination to serve as FDA commissioner,” Cassidy wrote. “Her limited managerial experience leaves her ill‑equipped to lead a large agency that is already grappling with staffing and morale challenges.”
He added, “Overton’s active involvement in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order raises doubts about her dedication to sound science and the protection of children’s health.”
