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Senior Washington Correspondent for @nationaljournal | Send tips & bad jokes to [email protected] or nancyvu.93 on Signal | DMV Defender | H-U, you know
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Consideration of a number of health care nominees is being pushed until after the October recess:
- Heidi Overton’s FDA nomination within Senate HELP
- Sean Kaufman’s ASPR nomination won’t be considered on Senate floor until after October recess, per source familiar
- Senate HELP is voting on Surgeon General + SAMHSA nominees in committee this Wednesday, but likely won’t be considered on floor until after October as well.
Per HELP spox on Overton: “Wednesday’s markup is a continuation of business from last week, so additional nominations cannot be added to the agenda. The Committee will revisit Dr. Overton’s nomination after the October recess.”
Nancy Vu retweeted
SCOOP: OpenAI, Anthropic and security researchers are investigating tens of thousands of incidents - not dozens - in which their frontier models took steps that outside evaluators would consider problematic, sources told Axios.
The sheer volume of incidents found in our reporting indicate that the problem is orders of magnitude more complex than what is currently publicly known and disclosed.
The findings also raise questions about what level of control anyone working on AI development can expect to have over their own technology, and whether these kinds of incidents are becoming synonymous with frontier deployment.
Read my latest for Axios here: axios.com/2026/09/26/openai-…
Nancy Vu retweeted
The Cook Political Report shifted ratings in 15 races toward Democrats today: cookpolitical.com/analysis/h…
Update: these nomination votes are postponed and won't happen this week, per a notice from HELP. Unclear of when it'll be rescheduled for.
Overton’s nomination hearing has concluded, but HELP Chair Cassidy is not committing to a committee vote before the year ends.
Cassidy is declining to comment on whether he’ll look to support Overton, and says he’ll have to review the material before he makes a decision.
Hawley pressed Overton's position on the safety review of mifepristone.
Hawley: "I want be sure that the FDA is not changing its position on it, it's going to be news to the court. Are you saying that the FDA's position is now that the drug is safe and effective and appropriately labeled?"
Overton clarifies that the safety review is focusing on the REMS change.
"There has not been a change to the label. That safety study is ongoing and very important. Women's health and women's safety is a critical piece of this, so there is no change in position."
Murkowski says she is "very concerned" about the "political pressures that come to bear" on the review of mifepristone.
She says efforts to require in-person dispensing instead of offering a telehealth option would put 80% of communities in Alaska "in a really challenging position in terms to access ... to this FDA-approved drug."
She doesn't ask further questions to Overton, however, and instead asks the nominee about food safety
A number of Democrats are pressing Overton on her own views on mifepristone and whether it's safe.
The nominee has largely avoided stating her own views, simply responding that the drug has met the safety and efficacy standards of the FDA. Overton states that the current safety review is evaluating the impacts of the last risk evaluation and mitigation strategy change during the Biden admin.
On whether mifepristone's label should be changed (question from Sen. Baldwin):
"I can't prejudge the determination of a safety review that's currently ongoing," Overton said.
Sen. Patty Murray questions Overton on the FDA's ongoing safety study on mifepristone.
Murray: "So, you do believe [mifepristone] is safe?"
Overton: "I know that It has met the safety and efficacy standard, according to the FDA review."
Top HELP Dem Bernie Sanders continues Cassidy's line of questioning, and asks if Overton would look to push back on President Trump.
Overton defends Trump, but stresses that she would "follow the law" if confirmed to be the FDA commissioner.
The questioning begins:
Cassidy: "Is the MMR vaccine safe and effective?"
Overton: "The MMR is not lethal ... the MMR vaccine is safe and effective."
The Senate HELP is now considering Heidi Overton's nominee to be FDA commissioner.
While the chair's opening statement outlined potential areas of alignment with the nominee (FDA reform to more quickly approve drugs, the FDA's safety review of mifepristone), Cassidy expressed reservations on Overton + her role in shrinking the childhood vaccine schedule.
"Dr. Overton, this committee needs to know whether you'll be radically honest ... that you will unequivocally say that the MMR vaccine in its current formulation is safe, not lethal," he said. "You also need to ensure that uninformed ideologies do not influence FDA decisions on whether to approve individual products, even if the President is pressuring you. This is something you will need to answer to get committee support."
The Senate HELP is now considering Heidi Overton's nominee to be FDA commissioner.
While the chair's opening statement outlined potential areas of alignment with the nominee (FDA reform to more quickly approve drugs, the FDA's safety review of mifepristone), Cassidy expressed reservations on Overton + her role in shrinking the childhood vaccine schedule.
"Dr. Overton, this committee needs to know whether you'll be radically honest ... that you will unequivocally say that the MMR vaccine in its current formulation is safe, not lethal," he said. "You also need to ensure that uninformed ideologies do not influence FDA decisions on whether to approve individual products, even if the President is pressuring you. This is something you will need to answer to get committee support."
News: The HELP Committee will look to vote on the Surgeon General + SAMHSA nominees, and some labor nominees off the chamber floor later today because of attendance issues within the panel.
On the Republican side, Sen. Lisa Murkowski isn't present.
Nominees will be voted on en bloc, per Cassidy
Before Heidi Overton's nomination hearing, Senate HELP will vote on Surgeon General, SAMHSA and other nominees, along with a student aid bill.
Cassidy opens up the hearing/mark-up dinging OMB's attempts to allow for political appointees to take over over NIH's grant approval process:
"Politicians who have zero medical experience or background should have zero role in deciding which NIH grants get funding," he said. "I hope to see the WH agree and decide against politicizing the approval process."
Nancy Vu retweeted
SCOOP: Inside the tumult of Mary Peltola's Senate campaign in Alaska and her time on Capitol Hill.
Peltola is known publicly as kind and affable. But aides recall angry outbursts, slurs and a shove. (She also required staff to feed a pet chameleon.)
nytimes.com/2026/09/23/us/po…
Nancy Vu retweeted
Republican congressional candidate Paul LePage says ICE is deporting his relative.
LePage says his son's father-in-law has a work permit but is from faces deportation because "certain people in Washington" don’t like the country he’s from.
midcoastvillager.com/news/po…
