Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced questions from pro-life advocates in the Senate as he seeks confirmation to become the nation's next attorney general.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., signaled that Blanche's approach to ongoing mifepristone litigation could influence his vote.
In an interview with Politico published Thursday, Hawley said he wants assurances that Blanche will ultimately move to settle several lawsuits brought by states seeking to roll back access to mifepristone, the abortion pill used in more than two-thirds of U.S. abortions.
Hawley said that he expects Blanche to support that effort.
"It would be a shock to me if he says, No, we're not going to do that," Hawley told the outlet.
"He's been very, very good on pro-life issues, so I'm sure he'll be good on this."
Hawley said he intends to press Blanche on his plans and timeline during the confirmation process.
"I'm interested in what [Blanche's] timeline is and how he gets there," Hawley said, adding that the issue is "important to my state, and certainly important to pro-lifers."
Blanche's confirmation was already expected to face challenges, with at least two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee viewed as uncertain votes.
Because Republicans hold only a narrow majority on the panel, a single GOP defection could prevent Blanche's nomination from advancing to the Senate floor.
The dispute centers on lawsuits brought by states, including Missouri, seeking to overturn FDA policies that expanded access to mifepristone through telehealth prescriptions and mail delivery.
The Trump administration has asked courts to dismiss or pause the cases, arguing the states lack standing and that the FDA should be allowed to evaluate the drug's regulation without judicial interference.
That position highlights the balancing act the Trump administration has sought to maintain on mifepristone over the past year.
While administration officials and many Republican lawmakers have expressed opposition to abortion and support for tighter restrictions on the drug, the Justice Department has not mounted a full-throated defense of state efforts to ban mifepristone.
Instead, it has focused largely on procedural arguments designed to preserve FDA authority over drug regulation while leaving room for the agency to revisit its policies administratively.
The administration's approach follows a series of major court rulings on mifepristone.
In 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed a challenge brought by anti-abortion physicians, ruling they lacked standing to sue over FDA actions involving the drug.
Since then, Republican-led states have pursued new litigation seeking restrictions on mifepristone while courts have continued to grapple with questions over who has the legal right to challenge federal abortion-drug policies.
Most recently, the Supreme Court sent a Louisiana-related challenge back to lower courts, allowing litigation over the drug's availability to continue.
Even if the Justice Department eventually drops its defense of current FDA policies, the legal fight is expected to continue because manufacturers of mifepristone have intervened in the cases and are independently defending access to the medication.