The Senate will not vote on Heidi Overton, the nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, before the midterm elections. The Senate health committee has a vote scheduled Wednesday on three HHS nominees, but Overton is not among them. The Senate is in session for the last time this week and does not return until Nov. 9, according to STAT's D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.
Overton's nomination is considered precarious: a single Republican vote against her in committee would be enough to block it. Last week's confirmation hearing gave little indication of how undecided Republicans might vote, so the delay leaves the outcome uncertain.
The timing means FDA leadership will remain an open question through the elections. By declining to schedule a vote, the committee is effectively postponing a politically difficult decision until after voters go to the polls.