- News outlets including the Washington Post have reported that President Trump’s nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton has been criticized by some elements of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement who regard her as an establishment figure who has stymied some of their initiatives.
- Chief among the complaints has been her alleged involvement in drafting a February 2026 executive order which declared the production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides as critical to the national defense. Glyphosate is an effective herbicide and the active ingredient in Roundup. The executive order found that there were no direct alternatives and that its use is critical to national agricultural productivity.
- The safety and use of glyphosate has been subject to much litigation, including a June 2026 Supreme Court decision which held that state-law failure to warn claims were preempted by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) has not identified risks of concern from glyphosate uses, including with respect to cancer, a conclusion that has been echoed by other international agencies including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
- Kush Desai, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Deputy Press Secretary, denied that Dr. Overton was primarily responsible for drafting the executive order and instead stated that she “pushed as many MAHA-minded edits as possible to a mostly-baked EO that, again, was written with national security considerations in mind.” He also stated that “Pretty much every MAHA win by this Administration absolutely would not have been possible without Heidi often singlehandedly running interagency policy processes.”
- Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor and report on the confirmation process for FDA commissioner.
