President Trump’s choice for Surgeon General Casey Means is in jeopardy, as at least four Republican senators have expressed doubt over his medical qualifications, views on vaccines and some of the questionable advice he’s given as a wellness influencer, the Washington Post reports.
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) all expressed concerns about her potential role at a confirmation hearing last month and remain skeptical. Just one of those senators could be enough to stop her nomination from advancing out of the Senate Health Committee.
Means, who was nominated more than 10 months ago, is known as a key wellness influencer within the Make America Health Again movement and a close ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine health secretary who started it. At the hearing, senators pressed Means on his views on vaccines, including shots against flu and measles and doses of hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. He largely dodged questions, refused to explicitly recommend life-saving shots and avoided openly refuting Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views and misinformation.
Afterward, both Senators Collins and Murkowski said they still had questions. According to the Post, Murkowski also said she had “strong reservations” about Means’ nomination and as of last week, that opinion had not changed.
Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health Committee and is a strong supporter of vaccines, pressed Means about his views on vaccination at several points during the hearing. Cassidy cast a key vote to confirm Kennedy as Secretary of Health, after Kennedy promised not to implement certain anti-vaccination changes – promises Kennedy has largely broken. Although Cassidy has not indicated how he will vote on Means’ nomination, MHA people hold him responsible for Means’ holdout. When the Post asked him about the status of the nomination, Cassidy responded only, “No change.”
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