Casey Means' confirmation hearing for surgeon general postponed

Dr. Casey Means, surgeon wide nominee (left), pinch journalist Megyn Kelly (right). Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

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Ben Curtis/AP

Update: The confirmation proceeding for President Trump's surgeon wide nominee scheduled for Oct. 30 astatine 11 a.m. was canceled. Dr. Casey Means, who is pregnant, went into labor.

The Department of Health and Human Services declined to reply a mobility astir erstwhile nan proceeding would beryllium rescheduled for but property caput Emily Hilliard issued nan pursuing statement: "Everyone is happy for Dr. Means and her family. This is 1 of nan fewer times successful life erstwhile it's easy to inquire to move a Senate hearing."

Who: Dr. Casey Means

Nominated for: Surgeon General

You mightiness cognize her from: Casey Means is simply a wellness influencer, entrepreneur, and author. Last year, she published a bestselling book astir fare and metabolic wellness Good Energy.

• She coauthored nan book pinch her older brother, Calley Means, who useful for nan Trump management arsenic a typical authorities worker and is simply a adjacent advisor to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• She did not complete her surgical residency and does not person an progressive aesculapian license, which would beryllium a awesome departure from past surgeon generals.
• She runs a institution that promotes nan usage of continuous glucose monitors.
• She has described America arsenic successful "spiritual crisis," questioned nan puerility vaccine schedule and nan usage of commencement power and has called out what she calls "corruption" astatine nan FDA.
  

What does this domiciled do? Known arsenic nan nation's apical doctor, nan surgeon wide leads nan much than 6,000 members of nan U.S. Public Health Service, which see physicians, nurses, and scientists moving astatine various national agencies.

The surgeon wide serves successful nan Department of Health and Human Services and issues nationalist advisories and reports to convey wellness accusation to nan public.

With nan proceeding delayed, what does it mean for nan U.S. to not person anyone successful spot arsenic surgeon general? The surgeon wide is simply a communicator successful main for nan nation's health. The personification successful nan domiciled raises consciousness of existent wellness issues. For instance, erstwhile surgeon wide Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report connected nan wellness effects of loneliness. Secretary Kennedy himself has taken up a batch of that benignant of connection activity and uses his level to beforehand his views connected health.

What's expected astatine nan hearing:

It's been much than 5 months since Trump announced Casey Means would switch his first choice, Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.

She was primitively group to subordinate nan legislature proceeding remotely, which is unusual. The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, which is holding nan hearing, did not explicate why she would beryllium joining virtually. Her brother, Calley Means, shared successful May that she was pregnant.

Senators will apt person reliable questions for her astir her qualifications and imaginable conflicts of interest. In financial filings released up of nan hearing, Means committed to resigning from her continuous glucose show institution if confirmed. She besides disclosed financial ties to nan supplement manufacture from which she promised to divest.

Means is 38 years aged and a postgraduate of Stanford Medical School. She completed astir of her residency training to beryllium a caput and cervix surgeon, but discontinue earlier finishing.

In nan years since, she pivoted to what's known arsenic functional medicine, a section that focuses connected guidelines causes of unwellness and often encompasses manner alteration and replacement medicine approaches that are not ever evidence-based.

She concisely had a functional aesculapian believe successful Oregon. But she did not go committee certified and her Oregon aesculapian licence is presently listed arsenic inactive.

Means grew her nationalist floor plan connected societal media and done her book Good Energy. She did nan rounds connected large podcasts successful nan wellness abstraction pinch her relative and coauthor Calley Means. Her connection tends to echo Kennedy's and that of his friends successful nan Make American Healthy Again movement, particularly successful flagging nan precocious rates of chronic illnesses successful nan U.S.

"What we are dealing pinch present is truthful overmuch much than a beingness wellness situation — this is simply a belief crisis," she said astatine a congressional roundtable led by Republicans past year.

She often talks astir nan U.S. nutrient proviso and biology toxins and she criticizes nan pharmaceutical industry. Kennedy has said she will beryllium nan top surgeon wide ever.

Pushback connected respective fronts:

There has been important guidance against Means's confirmation from aesculapian and nationalist wellness experts. They constituent to her deficiency of activity aliases objective experience, thing that surgeon generals traditionally have, and some of her views. For example, she has raised concerns astir nan information of nan puerility vaccine schedule and questioned hormonal commencement control. She has besides endorsed earthy milk, arsenic has Kennedy, who would beryllium her boss.

"The Senate's apt confirmation of Casey Means arsenic Surgeon General, an individual who ne'er completed aesculapian training, would people a disastrous precedent for nan nation's apical nationalist wellness role," Dr. Jerome Adams wrote successful a connection to NPR. Adams served arsenic surgeon wide successful nan first Trump administration.

"Numerous qualified candidates — afloat trained, licensed physicians who champion prevention and wellness —could lead nan 6,000-person [U.S. Public Health Service] pinch distinction," he added. "Confirming Means reflects a capitulation to governmental pressures, not a desire to get nan champion personification for nan job."

Earlier this year, guidance to her information also emerged from immoderate of Kennedy's MAHA supporters, partially retired of interest that she wouldn't beryllium captious capable of vaccines aliases transportation guardant different priorities of their movement.

Still, it seems improbable that nan Senate would person scheduled nan proceeding if nan Trump White House weren't assured that Means could beryllium confirmed. The withdrawal of erstwhile wellness charismatic nominations from this management person each happened earlier a proceeding took place.

NPR follows nan confirmation hearings for nan Trump administration. See our afloat authorities coverage, and travel NPR's Trump's Terms podcast aliases sign up for our Politics newsletter to enactment up to date.