Senators questioned US surgeon general nominee Casey Means about her stance on vaccinations, her financial ties, and her willingness to buck the Trump administration during her rescheduled confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Means, who appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, walked a narrow line on public health issues as she attempts to shore up enough support to be confirmed by the Senate.
The wellness influencer and Stanford-trained physician has faced scrutiny for some of her previous remarks on vaccines, birth control, and illicit psychedelic drugs, as well as her nontraditional professional history.
Means said that if confirmed she intended to focus on illustrating the harms of ultraprocessed foods, industrial chemical exposure, loneliness, lack of physical activity, and overmedicalization, key hallmarks of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
In response to questions from committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) if she would encourage vaccines as an effective public health strategy against measles, whooping cough, flu, and hepatitis B, Means deflected and called for patients to have nuanced conversations with their doctor.
“Broadly speaking I am very supportive of what’s has been laid out by this administration in regards to vaccines,” Means told Cassidy.
Kennedy has moved to overhaul US vaccine policy during his tenure, making controversial moves that have faced fierce resistance by public health advocates, but Means stopped short of criticizing any specific actions taken by the administration.
A day before Means’ hearing, 15 states led by California sued the Trump administration for its changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.
Means attempted to reassure Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that she would speak up on misinformation.
“I certainly have absolutely no issue having very frank conversations with anyone in the administration if I believe that their statements are misguided in some way,” Means said. “I would have a private and direct conversation with anyone in the administration if I felt that patients were at risk.”
Means responded similarly to questions about if the Food and Drug Administration should reinstate in-person prescribing requirements for the abortion drug mifepristone or on the safety of over-the-counter birth control. The Trump administration is reviewing the safety of the miifepristone, with abortion opponents asking for the FDA to restore a previous requirement that it be dispensed in person.
“I think the answers you gave us were a little bit political and not to the point,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former chairman of the committee, told Means.
Ethics Questions
Democrats—including Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.)—largely raised concerns about how Means would approach vaccine guidance and alleged ethics concerns, including her paid promotion of wellness products on social media.
“Just to be very clear I have spent the last several months working with the Office of Government Ethics to be fully compliant with this process. I take it very seriously,” Means told Murphy.
“It’s troubling because the surgeon general must be someone that the public can trust and someone who does their homework before lending credibility to a company. To me that raises questions about your judgment,” said Baldwin, referring to Means’ involvement promoting a test from Genova Diagnostics, which was previously ordered to pay up to $43 million to settle allegations the company violated the False Claims Act.
The nominee was accompanied by members of her family including her brother and senior White House adviser, Calley Means, as well as assistant secretary for health, Brian Christine.
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