Today, Dr. Nicole Saphier appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for her nomination to the U.S. Surgeon General. In response, 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton released the following statement:
“The Trump administration is hoping it’s ‘third-time lucky’ by nominating the woman who wrote Make America Healthy Again, but Nicole Saphier is a nutraceutical promoter and former Fox News contributor without a public health degree––and she cannot be trusted to serve as America’s top doctor. She may speak Senator Cassidy’s language, but her confirmation will continue to undermine the public’s trust in scientific consensus.
“Despite reassuring the Senate committee that she believes vaccines are among the ‘strongest tools in our arsenal for disease prevention,’ Saphier does not have the credentials––nor the conviction––to reassure us she will put data and evidence ahead of politics or personal gain. Her promotion of unregulated supplements and her financial holdings, including investments in Big Tobacco and McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Monster Beverage, raise serious questions about her commitment to public health.
“We know what happens when our officials refuse to stand up to RFK Jr’s dangerous agenda: four people have died in Pennsylvania from complications of measles this year. I urge our Senators to stand up to Trump and RFK Jr., and reject Saphier’s nomination for Surgeon-General––the last thing America needs is another peddler of wellness potions in office.”