Senate Weighs Making Surgeon General a Temp-to-Perm Position After Third Try
Lawmakers reportedly want a probationary period before anyone gets the good stationery.
On Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee convened to consider three nominees for top health posts, including Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general, the third person put forward for the job. Partway through the hearing, several members began discussing whether the position itself needed restructuring rather than another round of interviews.
The proposal on the table: treat the surgeon general's office like any other temp-to-perm assignment. Whoever is confirmed would serve a 90-day trial period, complete with quarterly check-ins, a shared calendar, and a laminated badge marked "PENDING REVIEW" until the paperwork clears.
"We just want someone we can trust to stick around before we spring for the nice diploma frame," said a committee aide, who noted the office already keeps a supply of nameplates reading "Surgeon General (Acting, Probationary)" in a supply closet just in case.
Under the plan, the confirmed nominee would also be required to submit a self-evaluation at the 60-day mark, and undergo a final interview with the same committee that just finished the first one, to confirm that the earlier confirmation is still holding up.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it remained unclear whether the probationary period would reset if a fourth nominee were ever needed, or whether the office would simply keep rolling over the same 90 days indefinitely.