The confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s Surgeon General nominee, Dr. Casey Means, has been postponed as she went into labor. The hearing, which was scheduled to take place remotely on Thursday, was delayed after she began giving birth. Means, 38, was appearing from afar due to her nine-month pregnancy with her first child.
Her prepared remarks for the hearing, obtained by Fox News, outlined the nation’s public health crisis, citing rising rates of preventable diseases such to high blood pressure, various cancers, autoimmune conditions, type 2 diabetes, mental health disorders, dementia, neurodevelopmental challenges, and youth suicide over the past two decades. She emphasized the impact of these issues on American families, stating they were robbing children of possibility, diminishing workforce productivity, and threatening national security.
Means, a Stanford-educated physician and wellness influencer, was expected to share her vision for addressing chronic disease by targeting its root causes, a stance that aligns with the Make America Healthy Again initiative championed by her close ally, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She gained prominence as a wellness influencer after becoming disillusioned with traditional medicine, which led her to advocate for alternative health approaches.
Despite her advocacy and connection to Kennedy Jr., Means has no prior government experience, and her medical license to practice is inactive, according to The Associated Press. It remains unclear when the confirmation hearing will be rescheduled. The press secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, Emily Hilliard, expressed that the department is happy for Means and her family, highlighting that such situations are rare and require flexibility in scheduling.
The postponement of the hearing adds another layer to the ongoing debates about public health policies in the U.S., particularly regarding the role of private interests in shaping health regulations and the challenges of addressing chronic diseases in a timely and effective manner.