In the Worst Measles Year Since 1991, Trump's Health Nominees Break With RFK Jr. on Vaccines Under Oath — Surgeon General Pick Nicole Saphier Says "I Do Not Believe Childhood Vaccines Cause Autism," and the Republican HELP Chairman Says "Misinformation and Misguided Policies Are Leaving Children and Adults Unprotected"
On Sept. 15 and 16, 2026, Senate committees questioned two of President Trump's top health nominees as the country recorded its most measles cases since 1991 — nearly 3,300 — including four deaths in Pennsylvania. At a Senate Finance hearing on Sept. 15, HHS deputy secretary nominee Chris Klomp told Sen. Ron Wyden that the MMR vaccine is "the single most effective public health tool that we have against measles." On Sept. 16 the HELP Committee heard from Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News contributor and Trump's third choice for surgeon general, along with Klomp and SAMHSA nominee Dr. Timothy Westlake. HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, blamed the measles deaths on "misinformation and misguided policies" and criticized Trump's executive order overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule, including splitting the combined MMR shot. Saphier said she does not believe childhood vaccines cause autism after Cassidy said an earlier answer had left "too much wiggle room," but she declined to renounce Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine decisions. HHS called claims that the administration discourages measles vaccination "absolutely fake news."
“Having measles is not a kind of victimless kind of experience. It's a little bit like drunk driving. … The president should be saying, "Be vaccinated. It is safe and effective."”