The chairman of the Senate health committee on Wednesday expressed “strong concerns” about President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, criticizing her support of what he called a “nonsensical vaccine executive order” issued last week.
“That alone is almost disqualifying,” the chairman, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, wrote on social media.
The senator made his comments hours after Mr. Trump announced he had nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy official, to fill the vacancy left by Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned from the F.D.A. in May. Mr. Cassidy’s post was an immediate signal that Dr. Overton could face trouble getting confirmed.
Dr. Overton must win approval from the health committee for her nomination to advance to a full Senate vote. To do that, she will most likely need the support of every Republican on the panel.
The White House quickly defended Dr. Overton. A spokesman, Kush Desai, said Dr. Overton had “spent the last year and a half coordinating an interagency policymaking process with senior officials” to deliver on the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.
“The White House looks forward to her swift confirmation by the Senate,” Mr. Desai said.
But the selection of Dr. Overton also drew complaints from some MAHA leaders, who are upset with the president over an executive order he issued earlier this year aimed at expanding the production of glyphosate, a weedkiller manufactured by Bayer that some scientists have linked to cancer.
Kelly Ryerson, an environmental activist who has accused the Trump administration of being “entirely owned by Bayer and the chemical companies,” said in a text message that she opposed Dr. Overton’s nomination. Ms. Ryerson was among several MAHA leaders who were invited to the White House in April to meet with Mr. Trump and his aides in an effort to smooth over tensions about glyphosate production.
“When I was at the White House MAHA meeting, Overton delivered all of Bayer’s talking points,” Ms. Ryerson said. “She is how corporate capture will thrive at the F.D.A. and is an enemy of MAHA, perpetuating chemical poisoning of the American people.”
The Senate is in recess until mid-September, and Mr. Cassidy has not said whether or when he will hold a confirmation hearing on Dr. Overton’s nomination. Mr. Cassidy, a physician, is a strong proponent of vaccination, and he has repeatedly accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of sowing doubts about vaccine safety. In his social media post, Mr. Cassidy faulted Dr. Overton for standing beside President Trump last week during the signing of a third executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccinations. The order has no legal power and has been broadly criticized by public health experts.
“While I respect Dr. Overton’s experience as a physician, I have strong concerns about her nomination to be FDA Commissioner,” Mr. Cassidy wrote. “Her lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization that is already dealing with staffing and morale issues.”
“Additionally,” he wrote, “Dr. Overton’s active role in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order calls into question her commitment to standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health.”
