Executive Branch

America Has Gone More Than a Year Without a Surgeon General. Has Anyone Noticed?

Rather than debating over who should fill the role, Congress and the White House should just eliminate it altogether.

Jeffrey A. Singer | 4.1.2026 7:00 AM

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(Casey Means)

On Sunday, Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general during President Donald Trump's first term, publicly criticized Casey Means, Trump's current nominee for the position. Adams pointed to her lack of an active medical license, her limited qualifications to lead the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and her views on vaccine safety and efficacy.

Later that day, Trump suggested he might withdraw the nomination and submit a different one. This follows an earlier false start: During the transition in late 2024, Trump nominated Jeanette Nesheiwat but pulled her nomination in May 2025 after critics pointed out discrepancies in her résumé.

In the meantime, Americans have gone over 430 days without a "nation's doctor," as the surgeon general is often called—and few, if any, have noticed. That should raise a more fundamental question: not who should serve as surgeon general, but whether we need one at all.

The surgeon general and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are vestiges of a bygone era—institutions that persist not because they are essential, but because they have never been seriously reconsidered. Today, federal public health activity is dominated........

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