Can Trump's latest pick for surgeon general make it through confirmation?

Health Can Trump's latest pick for surgeon general make it through confirmation? May 2, 20266:32 AM ET Pien Huang Nicole Saphier, President Trump's nominee for surgeon general. Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Theo Wargo/Getty Images President Trump has nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, for the role of surgeon general. It's his third pick for this position, often called "the nation's doctor," responsible for promoting health and wellness to the general public in the United States. Saphier is expected to be more acceptable to Republican lawmakers, than Dr. Casey Means, Trump's previous choice. His first pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn following scrutiny over how she had represented her medical credentials. Sponsor Message Politics Trump pulls Casey Means' stalled surgeon general nomination, announces new pick Trump described Saphier, who directs breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, as a "STAR physician" and an "INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR" in his April 30 nomination post on Truth Social. The same day, Trump blamed Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, for having "stood in the way" of Means getting confirmed as surgeon general. He accused Cassidy of "intransigence and political games." Saphier will be facing scrutiny from the same committee members who were doubtful of Means. Means told Politico that Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also opposed her nomination, effectively tanking her confirmation. All three Republican lawmakers serve on the influential Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which Cassidy chairs. The committee holds confirmation hearings for nominated health officials and determines whether to advance them to a full Senate vote. In response, the Republican members of the Senate HELP Committee wrote, "It's clear she did not have the votes," in a post on X. Health Senators grill RFK Jr. on vaccines, drug prices...