The Trump administration has removed Dr Vivek Murthy as US surgeon general, leading one Democratic senator to accuse the president of “politicising the position”.



Murthy was appointed by Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in December 2014 after a long delay. Murthy had incurred the wrath of the National Rifle Association by saying gun control was a “healthcare issue”.

During his tenure, he helped produce a White House report that said climate change had become a public health crisis, and launched Facing Addiction, the first surgeon general’s report on alcohol, drugs and health.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said Murthy was asked to resign after “assisting in a smooth transition”. His deputy, rear admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, will serve as acting surgeon general and leader of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, of which Murthy will remain a member.

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut who has campaigned for new gun laws since the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, issued a statement on Saturday in which he praised Murthy’s handling of gun control, addiction and outbreaks of Ebola and Zika.

The doctor was “another in a long list of political targets by the Trump administration”, Murphy said, adding: “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.

“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.”

In a statement posted to Facebook, Murthy said: “Two years and four months ago, I was honored to be sworn in as the 19th surgeon general of the United States. For the grandson of a poor farmer from India to be asked by the president to look out for the health of an entire nation was a humbling and uniquely American story.”

He also summarised some of his achievements, which included educational initiatives on addiction, the opioid epidemic, vaccines and food insecurity.

Murthy added: “We worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to protect our nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent healthcare shortages in rural communities.

“I am exceedingly proud of what our team and our officers have done to bring help and hope to people all across America.”



The president has dismissed several other high-profile appointees who he had either promised would stay on or left without replacements.

In January he fired Sally Yates, then the acting attorney general, for her refusal to defend an order banning travel from seven Muslim majority nations, which was later halted in courts.

In March he fired Preet Bharara, the powerful prosecutor in the southern district of Manhattan and the justice department dismissed dozens of US attorneys without new appointees. Scores of positions in the state department and other agencies also remain vacant.