Senator Pressures DOJ Over Abortion Lawsuits

Josh Hawley is pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to settle abortion pill lawsuits, and the move signals a new fight over mifepristone inside the Trump administration.

Quick Take

Hawley wants Blanche to settle multiple lawsuits tied to mifepristone and clear the way for new limits.^[1]^[2]
Hawley has also launched a broader push against the drug, including legislation to remove FDA approval.^[5]
The Justice Department says it will back court efforts to let the FDA finish its safety review.^[3]
The dispute centers on whether the drug is safe, how it was approved, and who should control access.^[3]^[5]

Hawley Presses the Justice Department

Politico reported that Hawley wants to know whether conservatives can count on Blanche to settle the cases over mifepristone.^[1] Hawley said he expects Blanche, whom he described as strongly opposed to abortion, will want to resolve the lawsuits and help open the door to tighter restrictions.^[1] The report said Hawley still leaned toward supporting Blanche in committee.^[1]

Fox News reported that Hawley also sent Blanche a letter urging the Department of Justice to investigate Danco Laboratories, the drug’s maker.^[3] In that letter, Hawley said women are being harmed at higher rates than the label shows and asked for action on the company’s approval, compliance, manufacturing, and marketing practices.^[3] The senator’s office also said he has opened his own investigation into the company.^[5]

Why Mifepristone Is the Target

Hawley’s push fits his wider campaign to choke off mifepristone at the federal level. His office said he introduced legislation to ban the drug’s Food and Drug Administration approval for abortion and let victims sue manufacturers.^[5] He has also argued that the drug is dangerous and that Congress should be the body to withdraw approval.^[5] That is a direct challenge to the FDA’s long-standing role in drug regulation.

The FDA says mifepristone was approved after a thorough scientific review and remains safe when used as directed. The agency also says postmarketing reviews have not found new safety concerns through 70 days of pregnancy. The FDA’s adverse-event summary shows it continues to monitor reports, but it does not say the drug should be pulled from the market.

The Safety Fight Behind the Politics

Hawley’s case rests on claims that serious harms are being undercounted. His office cited a study that said 10.93 percent of women experienced a serious adverse event within 45 days of taking mifepristone.^[3]^[5] Critics say the study is flawed, while the FDA and medical groups continue to defend the drug’s safety record.^[4] The clash matters because raw adverse-event reports can sound alarming even when they do not prove cause.

That is why the legal battle is bigger than one drug. A federal case in Texas had already challenged the original approval of mifepristone and later changes to its access rules. The Supreme Court later said those plaintiffs lacked standing, which kept the FDA’s changes in place. Hawley’s new pressure on Blanche shows the fight has moved from the courts into the executive branch.

What Comes Next for Trump’s Team

The political risk for the Trump administration is plain. If Blanche settles or backs a new restriction push, pro-life voters will see a win, but critics will call it a backdoor ban.^[1]^[4] If the department resists, Hawley and other conservatives may say the administration is not moving fast enough to protect unborn life. The result is another test of whether Trump’s team will use federal power to roll back the abortion pill fight or let the courts keep deciding it.

Josh Hawley gives acting a-g Todd Blanche an ultimatum. By María Teresita Armstrong-Matta
Josh Hawley signaled he will condition his support4AAG Blanche's conf-on guarantees that Blanche aggressively restricts access 2the abortion pill mifepristone.https://t.co/PLwmtKODwI

— Lise Latulippe @liselatulippe.bsky.social (@lise_latulippe) June 12, 2026

For now, the dispute is still centered on the same basic question: does the government trust the FDA’s safety review, or does it side with lawmakers and activists who want the drug pulled back? The answer will shape abortion access, federal enforcement, and the next round of conservative pressure inside Washington.