Senate committee schedules Nov. 18 vote on Trump FDA nominee Heidi Overton

The Senate Health Committee scheduled a Nov. 18 vote on Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration, The Hill reported. NBC News and STAT reported that committee Chair Bill Cassidy and other Republican members remain undecided. NBC said Overton needs 11 votes in the 21-member committee to advance, and cannot lose a Republican vote if all Democrats oppose her.

Republican senators have raised concerns about Overton’s experience and her work on the administration’s childhood vaccine policy, according to NBC News and The Hill. Her views on abortion have also drawn scrutiny. If confirmed, she would oversee the FDA’s safety review of mifepristone, the abortion pill. The nomination would next go to a full Senate vote if it advances out of committee. NBC News reported that Democrats take control of the Senate on Jan. 3, and a former congressional aide said an unconfirmed nomination would most likely be returned to the White House.