President Donald Trump’s third choice for surgeon general moved to the full Senate after a party-line committee vote, following a confirmation hearing in which the radiologist backed childhood vaccination and said vaccines do not cause autism.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Dr. Nicole Saphier moved one step closer to becoming U.S. surgeon general Wednesday after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 12-11 to advance her nomination to the full Senate.
The narrow vote clears a major procedural hurdle for President Donald Trump’s third nominee for the position, although Senate leaders have not announced when her nomination will receive a final confirmation vote.
Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, was advanced by the Senate health committee during an executive session Sept. 30.
Her nomination now heads to the Senate floor.
Saphier appeared before the committee earlier this month for a confirmation hearing that focused heavily on vaccines, the nation’s ongoing measles outbreak and the direction of federal health policy under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
She told senators that she supports vaccination, believes vaccines save lives and does not believe vaccines cause autism, according to NBC News.
The position became particularly important during questioning from HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician who has repeatedly raised concerns about vaccine policy and public confidence in immunization.
Saphier also defended the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine during the hearing and said the universal hepatitis B vaccination of newborns has been shown to be safe and effective in the United States.
“In the United States, the most tried and true way to prevent hepatitis B infection and effectively lower hepatitis B associated illness is universal birth dosing and that is what has worked here in the United States,” Saphier told the committee.
When pressed further by Cassidy, she said, “We have the most evidence showing universal birth dose vaccination to be safe and effective.”
Her testimony attracted attention because Saphier previously questioned whether every newborn necessarily needed a hepatitis B vaccine immediately after birth, while the Trump administration has been reviewing portions of the childhood immunization schedule.
She nevertheless told senators during the confirmation process that she supports vaccination and rejected a connection between vaccines and autism.
The scientific consensus has found no causal link between vaccines and autism.
Saphier also said the MMR vaccine is safe and effective, placing her on record in favor of one of the most closely scrutinized childhood vaccines as the United States deals with its largest measles outbreak in decades.
The surgeon general does not directly determine federal vaccine policy. The position instead serves as one of the federal government’s most prominent public health leadership and communications roles and oversees the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
If confirmed, Saphier would formally serve as medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and as surgeon general for a four-year term.
Trump announced Saphier as his choice in late April, and her formal nomination was transmitted to the Senate on May 11.
She is the president’s third selection for surgeon general during his second administration.
Trump initially nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for the job in 2024 before withdrawing her nomination in May 2025 shortly before a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.
The president then selected Dr. Casey Means, a physician associated with the Make America Healthy Again movement.
Means remained the nominee for nearly a year but never reached confirmation after facing questions from some senators over her qualifications, medical experience and positions on vaccines.
The White House formally withdrew Means’ nomination in May when Saphier’s name was sent to the Senate.
Saphier’s nomination therefore represents Trump’s third effort to fill the surgeon general vacancy.
Unlike Means, Saphier has spent much of her medical career in radiology.
She specializes in breast imaging and has worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She has also been a frequent television medical commentator and previously contributed to Fox News.
Saphier has written books and hosted health-related programming, giving her a considerably more public profile than many previous nominees for surgeon general.
Her confirmation hearing nevertheless demonstrated that vaccine policy has become one of the central issues surrounding senior federal health appointments.
Cassidy repeatedly sought direct answers from Saphier concerning established childhood vaccines.
Asked whether vaccines cause autism, Saphier said they do not.
Asked about the hepatitis B birth dose, she emphasized the evidence supporting universal newborn vaccination while acknowledging that parents may have questions they want to discuss with their pediatricians.
She also voiced support for childhood immunization more broadly.
Those responses came as Kennedy has overseen major changes in federal vaccine policy and advisory structures at HHS, creating disagreements inside Congress over how the administration is approaching immunization recommendations.
Saphier has supported portions of the administration’s broader health agenda while also publicly disagreeing with Trump and Kennedy on some medical issues.
Her willingness to depart from administration messaging was part of the scrutiny surrounding her nomination, with senators seeking assurances that she would communicate medical evidence independently if confirmed as the nation’s top public health spokesperson.
The surgeon general has limited direct regulatory authority compared with officials leading agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The office can nevertheless have considerable influence over national health discussions through surgeon general advisories, reports, educational campaigns and public appearances.
Surgeons general have historically used the position to focus attention on issues ranging from cigarette smoking and addiction to mental health, youth social media use and chronic disease.
Saphier would also oversee more than 6,000 uniformed officers of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, whose members serve throughout federal health agencies and can be deployed during public health emergencies.
Her nomination comes amid broader changes in the Trump administration’s health leadership.
The HELP Committee has been considering several HHS nominees simultaneously, including officials nominated for leadership positions involving mental health, substance use and aging.
On Wednesday, the committee also advanced other administration health nominees as lawmakers continue filling senior positions across the department.
Saphier’s nomination received the votes necessary to leave committee despite the 12-11 margin.
The committee’s official nomination records identify her as the nominee to serve both as medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and surgeon general.
A final confirmation requires approval by the full Senate.
No date for that vote had been announced as of Wednesday.
Her advancement therefore resolves the committee stage of a nomination process that has stretched across three different Trump nominees, but it does not itself make Saphier surgeon general.
The next decision now rests with the full Senate.
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