Trump’s Surgeon General nominee Casey Means to appear before US Senate panel

By Ahmed Aboulenein

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. surgeon general and an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is scheduled to appear on Wednesday before a key Senate committee in a long-delayed confirmation hearing.

Means, 38, was originally set to appear before the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in October but the hearing was rescheduled after she went into labor at 40 weeks pregnant. 

As the nation’s doctor, Means would, if confirmed, advise Americans on evidence-based health practices to reduce illness and injury risks. She and her brother, Calley Means, a Trump administration adviser on food policy, are close allies of Kennedy and vocal supporters of his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. 

Means is Trump’s second nominee for the role after withdrawing his prior pick, Janette Nesheiwat, in May. Both nominations have faced opposition from far-right activists including Laura Loomer as well as establishment voices who have raised questions about her views.

She has advocated for the consumption of raw milk, repeatedly echoed Kennedy’s unscientific claims linking vaccines to autism, and criticized the use of birth control pills. 

In her October prepared testimony, Means, a wellness influencer and medical doctor, said she has treated thousands of patients over 15 years in clinic settings, operating rooms, and her private practice.

There was no updated testimony available on the committee’s website ahead of Wednesday’s session.   

STANFORD GRADUATE

Means graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine but left her surgical residency early. Her Oregon medical license is listed as “inactive,” a status Means describes as voluntary since she is not currently practicing medicine.

Means co-founded Levels, a health-tech app, and holds shares in Truemed, a company owned by her brother that assists patients in obtaining tax advantages for advanced health treatments.

She has pledged in her disclosure filings with the Office of Government Ethics to resign from Levels and divest her financial interests in both companies should she be confirmed.

Kennedy lauded Means during an FDA event on Tuesday as having “an extraordinary capacity to communicate to the American public” and expressed confidence she would be confirmed.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time for Dr. Means to come on board,” he said. 

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by David Gaffen)