Surgeon general nominee backs MMR vaccine at hearing

Saphier’s testimony

Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, told senators on Sept. 16 that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is the strongest tool for fighting measles. The radiologist and former Fox News contributor spoke before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions as measles cases were rising nationwide.

Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, asked Saphier about Trump’s suggestion a month earlier that the combined MMR vaccine could be lethal. Saphier responded that, as a physician, she does not believe the vaccine is lethal.

Saphier also said she has not seen reputable evidence connecting vaccines to autism and does not believe childhood vaccines cause autism. She added that she does not know what causes autism. Fox News covered the hearing and her testimony.

Administration positions

If confirmed, Saphier would become the federal government’s top doctor and a leading public health spokesperson under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy said in 2023 that he believed vaccines caused autism. During his later confirmation hearing, he said he would not take actions as HHS secretary that make vaccines harder to obtain or discourage their use. He also said in March 2025 that the two-dose MMR vaccine was the safest and most effective way to prevent measles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend the MMR vaccine. The Trump administration favors separating the combined vaccine into three shots, and Trump signed an August 2026 executive order calling for childhood vaccinations to be spaced across separate visits.