Heidi Overton tells senators MMR, mifepristone and Tylenol are safe while avoiding direct rebuke of Trump

# What happened

On September 24, 2026, Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, testified at a Senate confirmation hearing. She repeatedly affirmed scientific positions on vaccines, the abortion drug mifepristone, and prenatal acetaminophen, while stopping short of directly contradicting the president.

# Positions she stated

• Vaccines: Overton told senators the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective. She extended that endorsement to all vaccines currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and said the combined MMR shot is the best available tool against ongoing measles outbreaks. She noted no commercial manufacturers currently produce separate measles, mumps and rubella shots and that any new product would take years to develop and approve.

• Mifepristone: Overton said the abortion drug has met FDA safety and efficacy standards. She declined to outline any specific plans for the drug if confirmed and said the FDA will continue postmarket safety reviews for all medications. The record includes a 2023 policy position Overton wrote calling mifepristone "dangerous to women," a point raised by senators and advocacy groups.

• Tylenol and autism: Overton told the panel she has seen no evidence that Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism.

# Where she avoided a direct break with the president

Senators asked whether she believes the president can be wrong. Overton declined a direct yes-or-no answer, saying he "sets the policy directions, but he works with all of his advisers to get the best information." That response left unresolved whether she would publicly or administratively contradict the president if he repeated claims at odds with established science.

# Context and recent Trump actions

Overton's nomination came in August, about a week after she attended a White House signing of an executive order aimed at altering the childhood vaccine schedule. At that event the president said, without evidence, that the MMR vaccine can be "lethal" to children and signed an order calling for the MMR shot to be broken into three separate shots. Overton told senators that providing an alternative option was the president's decision and that developing any separate vaccines would take time.

The hearing occurred amid measles outbreaks that have been linked to the deaths of at least four Americans, which Overton cited when defending the combined MMR shot.

# Other priorities she mentioned

Overton identified cracking down on illicit e-cigarette products as a major FDA priority. She defended the agency's recent approvals of several flavored vape products, arguing those products can help adults quit cigarettes even as critics say flavors appeal to minors.

# Reactions cited in testimony

Reproductive rights groups criticized Overton's nomination. Reproductive Freedom for All said she has "one of the most alarming anti-abortion records of any FDA nominee to date" and called her unfit to lead public health at the FDA. Overton did not offer a detailed roadmap for how she would handle contested issues such as mifepristone regulation if confirmed.

# Bottom line

Overton affirmed core scientific assessments on MMR, mifepristone and prenatal acetaminophen safety during a high-profile confirmation hearing, while limiting her comments about presidential error and declining to commit to specific future actions on controversial FDA matters.