Takeaways from the intense hearing with Trump surgeon general nominee Casey Means
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
Physician and wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means faced a series of tough questions from Republicans and Democrats during the long-awaited Senate hearing on her nomination to be surgeon general, rounding out President Donald Trump’s public health cabinet.
Means, who was nominated by Trump last May, has been a controversial figure for stepping away from traditional medical practice, after becoming disillusioned with what she described as the healthcare system’s focus on treatment instead of prevention.
Here are some of the highlights from the hearing.
Means’s background and nomination
Despite holding a variety of medical research positions, including at her alma mater, Stanford University, Means left her surgical residency program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2018, shortly before completion, and let her medical license lapse in January 2024.
Trump has said on multiple occasions that he let Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. choose Means for the job. She and her brother, White House health adviser Calley Means, have been key players in the Make America Healthy Again movement, particularly on the nutrition elements of Kennedy’s agenda to root out chronic disease.
Means’s initial confirmation hearing scheduled for October was postponed because she went into labor within five hours of the hearing’s start time. Means said that her son, Phoenix, is 17 weeks old and was born on the original hearing date.
Overall, Wednesday’s Senate hearing was intense but appeared to be constructive, with Means taking a conciliatory tone in lines of questioning, seeking to reassure lawmakers on a variety of points, including ones related to in vitro fertilization, abortion, and food production. While questioning was often aggressive, Means appeared to build a rapport with many of the committee members and sought to distinguish personal positions from what she would do in office.
“My dream is first and foremost to help nudge, push, inspire our healthcare system towards focusing on root causes and the reasons why we’re getting sick, moving towards a real healthcare system, and not just a reactive sick care system,” she told senators.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said at the start of the hearing that the role of surgeon general is “an educator, a coach, a cheerleader, providing evidence-based guidance to improve health and respond to crises.”
If confirmed, Means would oversee the Public Health Services Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service …
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
Physician and wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means faced a series of tough questions from Republicans and Democrats during the long-awaited Senate hearing on her nomination to be surgeon general, rounding out President Donald Trump’s public health cabinet.
Means, who was nominated by Trump last May, has been a controversial figure for stepping away from traditional medical practice, after becoming disillusioned with what she described as the healthcare system’s focus on treatment instead of prevention.
Here are some of the highlights from the hearing.
Means’s background and nomination
Despite holding a variety of medical research positions, including at her alma mater, Stanford University, Means left her surgical residency program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2018, shortly before completion, and let her medical license lapse in January 2024.
Trump has said on multiple occasions that he let Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. choose Means for the job. She and her brother, White House health adviser Calley Means, have been key players in the Make America Healthy Again movement, particularly on the nutrition elements of Kennedy’s agenda to root out chronic disease.
Means’s initial confirmation hearing scheduled for October was postponed because she went into labor within five hours of the hearing’s start time. Means said that her son, Phoenix, is 17 weeks old and was born on the original hearing date.
Overall, Wednesday’s Senate hearing was intense but appeared to be constructive, with Means taking a conciliatory tone in lines of questioning, seeking to reassure lawmakers on a variety of points, including ones related to in vitro fertilization, abortion, and food production. While questioning was often aggressive, Means appeared to build a rapport with many of the committee members and sought to distinguish personal positions from what she would do in office.
“My dream is first and foremost to help nudge, push, inspire our healthcare system towards focusing on root causes and the reasons why we’re getting sick, moving towards a real healthcare system, and not just a reactive sick care system,” she told senators.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said at the start of the hearing that the role of surgeon general is “an educator, a coach, a cheerleader, providing evidence-based guidance to improve health and respond to crises.”
If confirmed, Means would oversee the Public Health Services Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service …
Takeaways from the intense hearing with Trump surgeon general nominee Casey Means
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
Physician and wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means faced a series of tough questions from Republicans and Democrats during the long-awaited Senate hearing on her nomination to be surgeon general, rounding out President Donald Trump’s public health cabinet.
Means, who was nominated by Trump last May, has been a controversial figure for stepping away from traditional medical practice, after becoming disillusioned with what she described as the healthcare system’s focus on treatment instead of prevention.
Here are some of the highlights from the hearing.
Means’s background and nomination
Despite holding a variety of medical research positions, including at her alma mater, Stanford University, Means left her surgical residency program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2018, shortly before completion, and let her medical license lapse in January 2024.
Trump has said on multiple occasions that he let Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. choose Means for the job. She and her brother, White House health adviser Calley Means, have been key players in the Make America Healthy Again movement, particularly on the nutrition elements of Kennedy’s agenda to root out chronic disease.
Means’s initial confirmation hearing scheduled for October was postponed because she went into labor within five hours of the hearing’s start time. Means said that her son, Phoenix, is 17 weeks old and was born on the original hearing date.
Overall, Wednesday’s Senate hearing was intense but appeared to be constructive, with Means taking a conciliatory tone in lines of questioning, seeking to reassure lawmakers on a variety of points, including ones related to in vitro fertilization, abortion, and food production. While questioning was often aggressive, Means appeared to build a rapport with many of the committee members and sought to distinguish personal positions from what she would do in office.
“My dream is first and foremost to help nudge, push, inspire our healthcare system towards focusing on root causes and the reasons why we’re getting sick, moving towards a real healthcare system, and not just a reactive sick care system,” she told senators.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said at the start of the hearing that the role of surgeon general is “an educator, a coach, a cheerleader, providing evidence-based guidance to improve health and respond to crises.”
If confirmed, Means would oversee the Public Health Services Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service …
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