President Trump's third attempt to fill the surgeon general's office heads to the Senate health committee Wednesday, and the stakes for ordinary Americans are simple: the nation's top doctor slot has sat empty since January 2025 because the confirmation process has become a weapon to stall the agenda voters elected Trump to pursue.
Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, is the latest nominee after two predecessors were knocked off track. The first pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn over questions about her academic credentials. The second, wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means, saw her nomination collapse after a contentious hearing and a last-minute cancellation — she went into labor before her first scheduled appearance — and the committee never even voted. NPR reports America has not had a surgeon general since Biden left office.
Saphier directs breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth and holds a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados, with fellowships at the Mayo Clinic. She wrote a book titled "Make America Healthy Again" in 2020 — years before RFK Jr. popularized the slogan. Kennedy praised her nomination on social media, calling her "a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement." Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general under Trump's first term, told NPR he expects Saphier to be confirmed.
But the hearing won't be smooth. Senators from both parties plan to grill Saphier on vaccines. She has criticized COVID-19 booster requirements and questioned whether every newborn needs the hepatitis B vaccine at birth — a position that aligns with the Trump administration's effort to weaken that long-standing recommendation. She has also broken with Trump and Kennedy, telling the AP last fall that Trump's warnings about Tylenol use during pregnancy were "patronizing" and oversimplistic.
Follow the money and the conflicts get sharper. Saphier's Sept. 7 ethics filing shows holdings in healthcare and insurance firms plus processed food companies — Coca-Cola, Yum Brands, Hershey, and cigarette maker Philip Morris. This while her boss, Kennedy, has spent his tenure attacking big pharma, insurance corruption, and ultraprocessed foods as drivers of chronic disease. She also owns DropRx, a company producing unregulated tinctures containing kava kava root, which the FDA says can cause severe liver injury. She has pledged to resign from DropRx and divest from conflicting holdings if confirmed.
NPR framed the real tension clearly: the elephant in the hearing room is Kennedy himself, whose relationship with the committee is "strained" after what NPR describes as broken confirmation promises and combative, infrequent appearances. The Mercury News and SFGATE, running the same AP copy, framed the vaccine question around measles outbreaks alarming the "medical community" — a formulation that stacks the deck without naming who, exactly, is alarmed.
Also appearing Wednesday: Chris Klomp, a former health tech executive now serving as HHS chief counselor, nominated as Kennedy's deputy; and Dr. Timothy Westlake, nominated for assistant secretary of mental health and substance use. NPR notes Klomp has a reputation as a "pragmatic and effective leader" but still faces questions on measles, abortion medication, drug prices, and vaccines.
The pattern is clear. Two nominees down, one heading into the chamber, and the surgeon general's office still dark. The question isn't whether Saphier has flaws worth examining — she does. It's whether the Senate is scrutinizing nominees to assess fitness or running out the clock on an administration the permanent class never wanted.
