Trump named Dr. Heidi Overton, a health aide on his Domestic Policy Council, to run the Food and Drug Administration. Senate health committee chairman Bill Cassidy (Sen-R Louisiana) said her role in Trump's vaccine executive order was "almost disqualifying." Overton is a doctor with a Johns Hopkins degree in clinical investigation. She has backed splitting the MMR shot into three and tightening limits on the abortion pill mifepristone.
Ongoing2 earlier updates
This story has run 3 times over 9 days, starting Aug 11.
- Trump orders the childhood MMR shot split into three injections at three separate visits
- Cassidy says Kennedy lied about leaving the childhood vaccine schedule alone, and that Trump's order will raise families' costs
- Trump picks White House aide Heidi Overton for FDA, and Cassidy is already balking — this issue
Trump picks White House aide Heidi Overton for FDA, and Cassidy is already balking
What we’re less sure of4 of 8 claims
Medium
Overton is a physician who holds a Johns Hopkins degree in clinical investigation.
Biographical detail plausibly drawn from outlet profiles, but no source is named in the story text.
Medium
Overton has backed splitting the MMR vaccine into three separate shots.
A characterization of her past positions, attributed to reporting rather than a quoted document or statement.
Medium
Overton has backed tightening restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone.
Policy position reported secondhand without a named source or cited statement in the story.
Medium
Trump issued an executive order on vaccines that Overton played a role in.
Implied by Cassidy's criticism; the order's existence is presupposed but its content and her specific role are not detailed.