President Donald Trump’s surgeon general nominee, Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News medical contributor who has starred as a guest host on “The Five,” received a consequential boost from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) as her confirmation moves toward a pivotal vote.
Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said during a Sunday appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that Saphier “did earn my vote.”
The endorsement is significant because Cassidy, a physician, has closely scrutinized Trump’s health nominees and subjected Saphier to pointed questioning during her Sept. 16 confirmation hearing.
The HELP Committee is scheduled to consider Saphier’s nomination Thursday, Sept. 24. If the panel advances her, she would still need approval from the full Senate.
Conservative Brief reported that other Republicans have also responded favorably. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) described her meeting with Saphier as a “good conversation,” while Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) urged the Senate to fill the vacancy quickly.
The emerging support gives the White House momentum after two earlier nominees for the position failed to reach confirmation.
The development also comes as the Trump administration advances its broader public-health agenda. Resist the Mainstream previously reported on Trump’s review of federal childhood vaccine recommendations and covered controversy involving former nominee Casey Means and the wider Make America Healthy Again movement.
Saphier faced some of her toughest questions over vaccines. Cassidy repeatedly sought clear answers about whether childhood vaccines cause autism and whether the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is dangerous.
“I do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism,” Saphier eventually told lawmakers, according to Reuters.
Saphier also called the MMR vaccine the country’s “greatest tool for combating measles.” Her responses appeared to ease a major concern for Cassidy, who has challenged several administration health decisions despite remaining a Republican committee chairman.
No Republican senator indicated opposition to Saphier during the hearing, Reuters reported, leaving her positioned to advance if that support holds during the committee vote.
Saphier specializes in breast imaging and serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Monmouth facility in New Jersey.
She joined Fox News as a medical contributor in 2018 and regularly appeared across the network’s programs to explain health and medical developments. Her television experience also gave her years of practice communicating complicated medical subjects to a national audience.
During the hearing, Saphier pledged to follow the law, promote clear public-health communication and help rebuild trust in federal health guidance. The Associated Press reported that she also agreed to leave potentially conflicting outside positions and divest certain financial holdings if confirmed.
Trump announced Saphier as his choice in April after withdrawing Means’ stalled nomination. The White House formally submitted Saphier’s nomination to the Senate on May 11 for a four-year term.
Means had followed Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump’s original choice for the position during his second administration. Nesheiwat’s nomination was also withdrawn, making Saphier the president’s third attempt to fill the role.
The US has operated without a Senate-confirmed surgeon general since January 2025. Although the office does not directly establish federal policy, the surgeon general functions as the government’s leading public-health spokesperson and oversees the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Senate records currently list Saphier’s nomination as having completed the hearing stage. Thursday’s committee vote represents her next major hurdle—and Cassidy’s endorsement gives the former Fox News contributor a powerful ally at precisely the right moment.
