RFK Jr. Critic Nicole Saphier Faces Senate For Surgeon General
Nicole Saphier's nomination reached the HELP Committee alongside Chris Klomp for HHS deputy secretary and Timothy Westlake for the mental health post.
- The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a confirmation hearing September 16, 2026, for three Trump nominees, including Dr. Nicole Saphier.
- The hearing page names her nominee post as "Nicole Saphier, to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service."
- Chris Klomp seeks HHS deputy secretary; Timothy Westlake seeks assistant secretary for mental health, substance use.
Why it matters: The Surgeon General holds no policy power, only the ear of the secretary she once criticized.
U.S. Senate HELP Committee hearing page ↗ · Sep 16, 20269/16/26