Full Breakdown
Trump’s Third Surgeon General Nominee Faces Senate Scrutiny Amid Health-Policy Turmoil
By Drooid · · How we work
The Hearing and Its Stakes
The Senate health committee convened this week to consider President Donald Trump’s third pick for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor. The committee also heard from Chris Klomp, nominated for deputy secretary of HHS, and Dr. Timothy Westlake, nominated for assistant secretary for mental health and substance use. The hearing comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces criticism for his vaccine guidance and agency restructuring.
Background & Context
Trump’s earlier attempts to fill the surgeon-general post stalled. His first nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, withdrew after questions about her credentials. The second nominee, Dr. Casey Means, saw her hearing cancelled when she went into labor and later failed to secure Senate support over vaccine-position controversy. Saphier’s nomination follows these setbacks, marking the administration’s third effort to install a public-health spokesperson.
Key Figures
- Dr. Nicole Saphier – Radiologist, director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, former Fox News medical contributor, author of *Make America Healthy Again* (2020).
- Chris Klomp – Former health-tech executive, HHS director of the Center for Medicare (since April 2025) and chief counselor to Secretary Kennedy.
- Dr. Timothy Westlake – Emergency-medicine physician, chief of staff at SAMHSA.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – HHS secretary, whose vaccine-policy stance has drawn bipartisan criticism.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy – Republican chair of the health committee, liver specialist.
- Dr. Jerome Adams – Former surgeon general, who told NPR he expects Saphier’s confirmation.
Data & Financial Disclosures
Saphier’s ethics filing, dated early September, lists holdings in companies such as Coca-Cola, Yum Brands, The Hershey Co., and Philip Morris. She also disclosed ownership of DropRx, which markets unregulated kava-root tinctures flagged by the FDA for potential liver injury. The filing states she will resign from DropRx and Empower MD LLC and divest conflicting holdings if confirmed.
Official Statements & Responses
- Dr. Jerome Adams expressed confidence that Saphier would be confirmed, citing her credentials.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy signaled intent to question Saphier on hepatitis B vaccination, referencing his experience treating patients who died from the disease.
- Democratic senators indicated they will press Klomp on HHS’s response to measles outbreaks and Medicaid fraud.
Criticism & Opposition
Senators from both parties are expected to challenge Saphier on her past criticism of COVID-19 booster mandates and skepticism about universal hepatitis B vaccination. Her prior defense of vaccines amid the debunked autism-vaccine link may also attract questioning. Kennedy’s effort to scale back vaccine guidance—particularly amid rising measles cases—has been condemned by lawmakers, raising concerns about Saphier’s stance on vaccination if confirmed.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the level of opposition Saphier faces. NPR notes her nomination has not encountered the “wall of opposition” that stalled Dr. Casey Means, while US News emphasizes that both parties are likely to grill her on vaccine policy. No quantitative measure of opposition is provided.
What’s Next
The committee’s hearing will determine whether Saphier, Klomp, and Westlake advance to full Senate votes. Confirmation would fill key leadership vacancies that have remained open since President Joe Biden left the surgeon-general post in January 2025. Subsequent Senate action will shape the HHS leadership team’s ability to address measles outbreaks, vaccine guidance, and mental-health initiatives.