NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Questions Trump Nominee for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration

"We hope that you will use science if you are confirmed, and we hope that you will stand up if the information is incorrect or wrong because lives are on the line."

Click here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester's Remarks

U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, today questioned Heidi Overton, MD, PhD, President Trump's nominee for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Blunt Rochester's questions focused on Dr. Overton's involvement in the Trump administration's changes to critical vaccine schedules.

Senator Blunt Rochester's exchange can be found here, and a key excerpt is below:

Senator Blunt Rochester: "The president has also proposed giving babies microdosed vaccines at roughly 20 percent of the current dose. So, wouldn't that mean that they'd have to have five times the [number] of shots, [and] the parents would have to visit five times with their child…Who pays for that? Is it insurers who pay for it? Is it the parents who pay for it? Is it the taxpayers who pay for it? How does this actually happen?"

Dr. Overton: "The President is aware, and he has talked about it recently. He knows that companies would need to submit an application to the FDA. That this would take time. I believe that he is solving for feedback he has gotten of parents wanting an additional option on the market. It is not taking anything away. The current MMR vaccine is safe and effective. It is our best tool, and right now people should get that."

Senator Blunt Rochester: "The administration is saying they want people to [get] less shots, but then they're telling them to [get] more shots, and it is not based on science. I'm really concerned about that."