WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions convenes Wednesday for a high-stakes series of confirmation hearings, as the Trump administration attempts to fill three critical vacancies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The focus remains on the long-vacant position of Surgeon General. America has been without a confirmed Surgeon General since the Biden administration ended in January 2025. After two failed attempts—including a contentious, abandoned nomination for Dr. Casey Means and the withdrawal of Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat due to credential concerns—the White House is now betting on its third pick: Dr. Nicole Saphier.
Saphier, a radiologist and current director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, faces an uncertain reception. While she shares branding with the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, her record presents a complex challenge for senators. Saphier has previously pushed back against anti-vaccine rhetoric favored by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., notably criticizing his hiring of activists who link vaccines to autism. However, her own past comments regarding hepatitis B vaccines and COVID-19 boosters are expected to draw sharp scrutiny from committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who has frequently emphasized the life-saving importance of pediatric vaccinations.
Looming over the proceedings is the volatile tenure of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His strained relationship with the committee and history of unfulfilled promises have created a chaotic backdrop for these hearings. Kennedy’s influence is felt most keenly in the selection of deputy secretary nominee Chris Klomp.
Klomp, a former health tech executive and current Medicare director, is widely considered the administration’s pragmatic counterbalance to the department’s top leadership. During a preliminary hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, Klomp broke with the administration’s broader narrative on immunization, forcefully advocating for the MMR vaccine to curb nationwide measles outbreaks. If confirmed, he would serve as the operational backbone of HHS, tasked with navigating a department currently mired in controversy.
Also on the docket is Dr. Timothy Westlake, nominated to head the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Westlake’s path to confirmation may be the most complicated, as his agency remains a focal point of intense legal battles. Secretary Kennedy has aggressively sought to restructure SAMHSA, including massive staff cuts and an aborted plan to dissolve the agency entirely—efforts that have faced pushback from both sides of the aisle.
Wednesday’s hearings serve as a litmus test for whether the Trump administration can successfully install its health policy agenda or if the ongoing friction between the White House and the Senate will continue to leave key public health roles empty nearly two years into the current term.
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