At Senate hearing, US surgeon general nominee says she believes vaccines are safe
Meghan HolohanToday at 4:37 p.m.
Public Health
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
Hepatitis
Childhood Vaccines
Today, President Donald Trump’s third nominee for the role of surgeon general—Nicole Saphier, MD—faced questions from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), with many queries focused on her views on vaccines.
The United States hasn’t had a surgeon general since 2025. Saphier’s nomination followed Trump’s withdrawal of the nomination of Casey Means, MD, after her contentious HELP committee hearing.
A former Fox News contributor and radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Saphier emphasized that her experience makes her qualified for the role of surgeon general. She focused many of her comments on preventing chronic illness, which aligns with some goals of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“My commitment to prevention predates the current national conversation around it,” she said in her opening statement. “I have long believed that we spend too much time and resources treating chronic disease after it takes hold, and not enough time helping Americans reduce their risk before illness begins.”
‘I do not believe the MMR vaccine to be lethal’
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and HELP Committee chair, immediately started by pressing Saphier about her views on vaccines, specifically the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.I do not believe the MMR vaccine to be lethal. I believe the MMR vaccine is our greatest tool for combatting measles.
Nicole Saphier, MD
Pennsylvania is experiencing a large measles outbreak currently totaling 731 cases, of which 117 are new within the past week. Four measles-associated deaths have been reported in the state, including two adults and two infants, all of whom were unvaccinated.
Federal leaders have not encouraged MMR immunization widely, and misinformation has spread. A poll this week shows that fewer people believe the MMR vaccine is safe, with 76% of people trusting the immunization, down from 84% in 2020.
“Let me ask you, is the MMR vaccine extremely lethal, as the president said?” Cassidy asked.
Saphier didn’t address Trump’s comment directly, but said, “I do not believe the MMR vaccine to be lethal. I believe the MMR vaccine is our greatest tool for combatting measles.”
Cassidy followed up with questions on her views on vaccines and autism. “I do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism,” Saphier said.
She added that MMR vaccination is “the best tool we have to combat these infections, to save the most lives, and also to create population herd immunity.”
‘I have no intention of breaking the law’
When Saphier characterized Trump’s comments as “trying to reach the vaccine-hesitant people,” Cassidy pushed back.“I’m not sure that you reach people who are vaccine-[hesitant] by feeding into untruths. The way to dispel confusion is not to sow more confusion,” the senator said. “The way to is to say, ‘No, it does not cause autism.’”
Saphier also acknowledged that “hepatitis B vaccines are one of the most tangible ways we have to prevent cancer,” but danced around whether they should be recommended.
“I do believe that is what is tried and true. I understand it can be a nuanced conversation, and some parents have concerns that they can [share] with their pediatrician,” she said. “But in the United States, we have the most evidence showing universal birth-dose vaccination to be safe and effective.”
“But that stops short of saying that it should be recommended,” Cassidy responded.
“Based on our data, the overwhelming recommendation should be this is what we have shown is tried and true,” Saphier said. “I’m open to future discussions about it… the universal birth dose has been the most effective policy here in the United States for reducing infection.”
After Kennedy fired the current members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the newly formed ACIP changed the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose from recommended to shared clinical decision-making. This caused confusion, and a recent survey found that only 23% of people know that the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended during pregnancy.
Several senators worried about the increasing politicization occurring in the federal public health space. Senator Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, questioned whether Saphier would break the law if Trump asked her to do so, and she replied, “I have no intention of breaking the law, senator.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, wondered how Saphier hopes to “preserve the integrity and the independence of scientists and health experts who are working in your agencies.”
“I have been a physician for two decades, and if I’m confirmed as surgeon general, when I finish serving the country I would like to still be a physician, and I will do nothing to jeopardize that professional integrity,” she said. “I will do everything I can to preserve the integrity of those around me, those within the department… I will do what I can to protect them.”
A ‘clear definition’ of measles-associated deaths
Chris Klomp, Trump’s nominee for deputy HHS health secretary, appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance yesterday and also fielded questions today from the HELP committee. Cassidy asked him about his views on transparency, especially as it relates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not including the measles-associated deaths from Pennsylvania.I will do everything I can to preserve the integrity of those around me, those within the department… I will do what I can to protect them.
Nicole Saphier, MD
“I’ve spoken to Dr. [Erica] Schwartz [CDC director]. She says we’re trying to come up with a definition of how measles causes death, but they’re never going to have more information than a coroner saying this person died from measles,” Cassidy said. “If people are dying from measles, the American people should know.”
Klomp said that a “clear definition” of measles-associated deaths is needed.
“We must address these operational shortcomings: a clear definition, a commitment to publish transparently on the website, and then a proper policy discussion or a policy response, in this case, promoting vaccination for measles so that we achieve or maintain our elimination status,” he said.