WASHINGTON: Democratic and Republican lawmakers subjected US President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr Casey Means, to hours of questioning at a confirmation hearing, focusing on her positions on vaccines, qualifications, and potential conflicts of interest.
Means, 38, a Stanford-trained doctor, entrepreneur, and health influencer, does not hold an active medical license, unlike past surgeons general who lead the 6,000-member US Public Health Service.
She is a prominent figure in the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement supported by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and authored Good Energy, a book promoting natural foods, exercise, and lifestyle changes to improve health.
The Senate committee is expected to vote on her nomination soon, potentially sending it to the full chamber for approval.
Several senators questioned Means about products she has promoted as a health influencer. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) alleged she violated Federal Trade Commission rules multiple times by failing to disclose financial ties to companies whose products she endorsed.
Murphy cited financial records submitted to the committee, arguing that Means’ actions could erode public trust in the medical profession and raise ethical concerns.
Means denied the allegations, calling the documentation “incorrect” and “a false representation,” and accused Murphy’s staff of compiling data “intentionally to create these claims.”
She emphasized that she had been cleared by the Office of Government Ethics and pledged to divest from her business interests if confirmed.
Means completed medical school at Stanford University and most of her surgical residency but did not finish the program. In her book, she explained: “I walked out of the hospital and embarked on a journey to understand the real reasons why people get sick.”
Since then, she has expressed controversial health opinions, including skepticism of childhood vaccination schedules, co-founded a company to monitor blood glucose, and sold dietary supplements and teas on social media.
At the hearing, Means addressed concerns over her inactive medical license, explaining she let it lapse because she is not currently seeing patients and does not plan to reactivate it. While an active license is not required for the surgeon general role, the position involves supervising public health officers who must maintain “active and unrestricted” licenses.
