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It was another blow to public health with Trump’s nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the FDA. The FDA is not some obscure government agency. It determines whether our medications, vaccines, and medical devices are safe and effective and protects much of the food we eat. Yet Trump has chosen a close White House policy adviser with no public health background to lead an agency already struggling amid turmoil, the loss of more than 3,000 employees, and declining morale.
What makes Overton particularly troubling is her record on reproductive health. She has advocated for tighter restrictions on mifepristone, the medication safely used in most medication abortions. She has also said abortion pills are “dangerous to women” and called for restrictions on their availability by mail. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA based on sound scientific evidence. The Supreme Court even rejected a 2024 challenge to the FDA’s regulation of the drug.
An FDA commissioner should embrace science rather than politics. However, Trump’s pick was based solely on a political agenda to further block women’s access to safe and legal abortion and care.
Overton’s selection is part of a much larger assault on our public health system. Trump’s cuts to agencies like the CDC and NIH have constrained state and local health departments that depend on federal support for disease prevention and emergency response. Both agencies have been affected by reduced workforces due to budget cuts.
AP reported this week that numerous CDC programs still have congressional funding but are effectively understaffed, creating what officials have called “zombie programs.”
Food safety is another area where cuts are having dangerous consequences. Fewer inspectors mean the loss of institutional knowledge and delays in laboratory testing and outbreak investigations. With foodborne illnesses, such as Cyclospora, on the rise, those delays can mean more people get sick before an outbreak is even identified and contained.
Then there is the administration’s approach to vaccines. Trump has pushed changes to childhood vaccine recommendations. His HHS secretary has cast doubt on vaccines at a time when measles has returned as a serious public health threat. Overton also shares Trump’s skepticism on vaccines.
Repairing the damage to these institutions and the public’s faith in them will not happen overnight, but the 2026 election offers us an opportunity to begin. Americans do need to be healthy again. But our first step towards that is electing candidates in November who believe in science and sound public health policy. Our health and safety should never be a political bargaining chip.
TAKE ACTION.
The Senate will be voting to confirm Overton's appointment. Call your Senators at 202-224-3121. Tell them to vote no. Public health over politics.
Every member of Congress votes on every issue you care about. That’s why control of both the House and Senate matters. Elections have consequences, and this November, the stakes could not be higher.
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