Miami
Nicole Saphier declined to break with administration vaccine policy at surgeon general hearing
The nominee said she supports universal hepatitis B vaccination and would recommend the MMR shot, but she stopped short of directly challenging Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Donald Trump. Roll Call reported that vaccine policy was the central issue at her Senate hearing.
Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, avoided a direct split with the administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule during her Senate confirmation hearing, according to Roll Call.
At the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy pressed Saphier to clearly state that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism and that the universal recommendation for a hepatitis B shot at birth should remain in place.
Roll Call reported that Saphier did not openly reject the positions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Trump, both of whom have suggested a connection between autism and the MMR vaccine. Asked directly by Cassidy, she said she does not know what causes autism but has not seen repeatable evidence suggesting the vaccine causes it. Cassidy replied that the answer left too much room for ambiguity.
Saphier also said she does not believe vaccines are lethal, as Trump once suggested, and that she would recommend them. At the same time, she said she understands that some parents remain skeptical and that the administration is trying to reach that audience. Cassidy answered, as quoted by Roll Call, that confusion is not resolved by adding more confusion.
On hepatitis B, Saphier said she supports universal vaccination. Still, she did not go so far as to say Kennedy should preserve the recommendation. Roll Call noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine panel voted in December to drop the universal birth recommendation, and that a judge temporarily blocked that move and other panel recommendations in March.
The hearing also turned to vaping. Asked by Sen. Susan Collins, Saphier said that as a physician she does not want anyone smoking anything because lungs are highly sensitive and do not regenerate. But she added that flavored vaping products might be worth considering if they help an adult quit cigarettes.
Roll Call reported that the Food and Drug Administration authorized four new fruit- and menthol-flavored vaping products in May. The outlet added that then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned soon afterward over the decision, as did HHS spokesperson Rich Danker. During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine criticized the shutdown of the CDC’s smoking cessation office, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Saphier’s background as a social media influencer could make her an effective anti-smoking messenger. Saphier replied that she is strongly opposed to smoking and tobacco use.
According to Roll Call, Saphier’s appearance echoed that of Chris Klomp, the nominee for deputy HHS secretary, who likewise did not fully separate himself from Kennedy’s vaccine policies. Questioning Klomp, Cassidy pointed to four measles deaths in Pennsylvania. Roll Call said the CDC has not yet updated its website to include those deaths amid a dispute between Kennedy and Pennsylvania officials over whether measles or other causes were responsible. Klomp said that, if confirmed, the department would address operational shortcomings and establish a clear definition of a measles-related death.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
