WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump dismissed U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Dr. Murthy, who was confirmed under President Obama in December 2014, was expected to serve until 2018. Dr. Murthy was outspoken on the issue of gun violence as a public health crisis and of addiction, releasing the office’s first comprehensive report on addiction in America last year. He received his M.B.A. and M.D. from Yale University.

“Dr. Murthy is another in a long list of political targets by the Trump administration. U.S. Surgeons General are not supposed to be fired mid-term. They have served administrations of both political parties because keeping Americans safe and healthy isn’t a partisan issue,” said Murphy. “Dr. Murthy helped steer our country through the frightening Ebola and Zika outbreaks, and rightfully focused on the devastation of addiction. He didn’t shy away from speaking the truth about gun violence as a public health crisis. By firing Dr. Murthy, President Trump is politicizing the position of Surgeon General and risking the credibility of our nation's top public health official.”

Murphy wrote an op-ed in the Huffington Post expressing his support for Dr. Murthy’s nomination.