FDA Commissioner Nominee Faces Senate Questions on Vaccines, Mifepristone

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, faced questioning from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, according to NPR.

Senators pressed Overton on a range of issues central to the FDA's regulatory role, including vaccine policy, access to the abortion medication mifepristone, and food safety standards. Committee members also sought to gauge whether she would be willing to tell the president if she disagreed with him on matters within the agency's purview.

The hearing is a standard part of the Senate confirmation process for a position that oversees regulation of drugs, vaccines, medical devices and a significant portion of the nation's food supply. Overton's responses to senators' questions were not detailed in full in the initial report.

Her nomination will now proceed through the committee process, with a full Senate vote required before she could be confirmed to lead the agency.