Sen. Cassidy Shredded for Half-Hearted Lament Over New FDA Head: ‘Almost Disqualifying’

Sarah RumpfAug 19th, 2026, 7:26 pm
 
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA via AP Images

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) sparked sharp reactions Wednesday when he offered a mild criticism of President Donald Trump’s pick to take over the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Heidi Overton, calling her record “almost disqualifying.”

Almost. Almost. Not quite there though, apparently.

Cassidy ended up persona non grata in MAGA world when he was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted for conviction in Trump’s second impeachment trial, which occurred in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The Louisiana senator was censured by his state GOP for that vote, and Trump shocked few when he endorsed one of Cassidy’s challengers, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), who went on to win the primary.

Cassidy is a physician and has ramped up his criticism of Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump’s second term has progressed. Kennedy has a years-long history of anti-vaccine activism and conspiracy mongering, but reassured Cassidy he would not use the agency to sow distrust in vaccines and got his vote.

The reality, however, has proved to be a different story and Cassidy has repeatedly found himself publicly criticizing vaccine policies and other health initiatives from the Trump administration, most recently regarding an executive order the president issued regarding the childhood vaccine schedule.

Cassidy followed in the long-running tradition of Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (D-NY) strongly worded letters and Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) furrowed eyebrows in a tweet he posted Wednesday, reacting to the news earlier in the day that Trump had nominated Overton to oversee the FDA, an agency that has been battling multiple food-borne illness outbreaks during the past few weeks.

“While I respect Dr. Overton’s experience as a physician, I have strong concerns about her nomination to be FDA Commissioner,” wrote Cassidy. “Her lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization that is already dealing with staffing and morale issues. Additionally, Dr. Overton’s active role in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order calls into question her commitment to standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health. That alone is almost disqualifying.”

Cassidy’s post drew swift criticism and mockery, with numerous commenters pointing out that he should expect such developments after past events, and many honed in on his use of phrases like having “strong concerns” about Overton and her record “almost disqualifying” — but not actually disqualifying.

A sampling of reactions is below.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf is an attorney and Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. She joined Mediaite in 2020. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.