President Trump's surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means testified before Senate committee on Wednesday in her bid to be confirmed as the nation's top doctor.
The hearing was a long time coming for Means — a wellness influencer, entrepreneur and author — who had to delay the confirmation hearing in late October because she was pregnant and went into labor.
During her testimony, Means praised Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership and echoed many of the talking points of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, while sidestepping pointed questions about the administration's controversial actions on vaccines and other issues.
In a back and forth between Means and Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, she said that she believes "vaccines save lives," but stopped short of encouraging mothers to have their kids vaccinated against measles and flu. She said that it is a matter for conversation and informed consent between doctors and patients.
Later when pressed by Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, on whether she disagreed with Kennedy's statements that there's a lack of evidence on the efficacy of the flu vaccine, Means eventually agreed that at the "population level" the shot does lower the risk of injury or hospitalization.
She took a similar tack when asked about the debunked link between autism and vaccines, which has been promoted by Kennedy and many of his allies.
"I do accept that evidence. I also think that science has never settled," Means said in response to a line of questioning from Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont. Means said that she supported Kennedy's current effort to look at "all environmental factors that could be contributing to autism." She added, "Vaccines are not part of my core message."
In podcast appearances and online, Means has expressed concerns about the safety of the childhood vaccine schedule and questioned hormonal birth control. She has also endorsed raw milk, as has Kennedy.
"I absolutely think that oral contraception should be widely accessible," she said in response to a question about birth control pills from Cassidy, a physician, who asked in part if they should be made available without a prescription. "I believe especially when it comes to oral contraceptives we need to have patients having a conversation with their doctor about risks and benefits," she said during the hearing.
Means has grown her public profile in the last few years, primarily through a book on diet and health, called Good Energy, and appearances on high-profile podcasts. She's often joined by her brother and coauthor Calley Means, who served as an adviser to Health Secretary Kennedy.
Her nomination has faced considerable pushback from the medical and public health establishment, in part because she lacks the clinical experience of past surgeons general.
"She is less qualified professionally than any other surgeon general in history. There's no question about that," says Dr. Georges Benjamin, CEO of the American Public Health Association.
Means graduated from Stanford Medical School, but dropped out of surgical training to become a head and neck surgeon. She went on to open a functional medicine practice in Oregon, though she stopped seeing patients a few years ago and doesn't currently have an active medical license.
At the hearing, she said she has no plans to reactivate her license, if confirmed.
Her focus has been on nutrition, the country's high rate of chronic diseases and the failure of the medical system to address "root causes" of poor health. Similar to Kennedy, she points to the harms of ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins, poor lifestyle and the overuse of pharmaceuticals, among other culprits.
"Every American shares a core yearning to thrive and help their families thrive, but we are asking people to make healthy choices in environments that are squarely structured against them," she said in her opening statement to the committee.
"Our bodies are telling us this current path is totally unsustainable. There is another way, a path that unites rigorous science with reverence for our miraculous bodies and planet," she added.
Alongside her book, Means runs a company, called Levels, that promotes the use of continuous glucose monitors and also sells various supplements and wellness products on her website.
Means has agreed to divest from her companies if confirmed as surgeon general. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut grilled her on a pending complaint that she violated FTC rules by failing to disclose financial relationships to products she's promoted.
"This seems systemic," said Murphy. "It seems that in the majority of instances in which you were, as a medical professional, recommending a product, you were hiding the fact that you had a financial partnership."
Means said the assertions were false and that she'd follow up with his staff.
Known as the nation's top doctor, the surgeon general leads the more than 6,000 members of the U.S. Public Health Service, which include physicians, nurses and scientists working at various federal agencies.
The surgeon general serves in the Department of Health and Human Services and issues public advisories and reports to convey health information to the public.
The committee hearing concluded after more than two hours of testimony without a vote.
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