Pressed by lawmakers on Thursday, Trump’s pick as the next FDA chief said she’d “follow the law” on key decisions and work to speed early drug research.

Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told lawmakers Thursday that she would “follow the law” regarding decisions on vaccines and the abortion drug mifepristone if pressured by the White House to alter longstanding policies.

Speaking at a Congressional hearing to evaluate her nomination, Overton also vowed to push for reforms that can speed early research on new drugs and help the U.S. counter the fast ascent of China’s biotechnology industry.

Trump last month nominated Overton, a physician who is now a White House domestic policy adviser, to assume the FDA’s top position. She’d take over for Kyle Diamantas, who has been the temporary, “acting” leader since May, when Trump’s first commissioner Martin Makary resigned.

If confirmed, Overton would step into an agency seeking stability after a tumultuous 18 months. Under Makary, the FDA was rocked by layoffs and senior staff departures. The regulator was also accused of politically influenced decision-making and criticized for backtracking on agreements with drugmakers.

Vaccine policy, in particular, has been a lightning rod during and even after Makary’s tenure. He and top deputy Vinay Prasad established stricter frameworks for COVID shots , while a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel handpicked by vaccine skeptic and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued multiple recommendations that went against established science.

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