NEW YORK (AP) – The Senate hearing for Dr. Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, has been postponed due to a childbirth, a spokesperson for the Senate Health Committee announced Thursday.
The news came hours before Means, 38, who is pregnant with her first child, was scheduled to appear before the committee virtually for her confirmation hearing. It was not immediately clear when the hearing would be rescheduled.
“Everyone is happy for Dr. Means and his family,” said Emily Hilliard, deputy spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services. “This is one of the few times in life where you can easily request changes to a Senate hearing.”
meansa Stanford University-educated physician who went on to become a popular wellness influencer. disillusioned with traditional medicineis expected to share the vision of ending chronic disease by targeting its root causes; make america healthy again A message from her close ally, the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The author and entrepreneur was also expected to protect her credibility as concerns about her qualifications and qualifications surfaced. potential conflict.
As the nation’s physician, the Surgeon General is the leader of the American people and health authorities on public health issues. If confirmed, the means are already changed the landscape of public health By calling for increased oversight of vaccines, the national food supply, pesticides, and prescription drugs.
Means has no government experience and his medical license is invalid. She attended medical school at Stanford University but dropped out of Oregon Health & Science University’s surgical residency program in 2018. She later cited her belief that the health care system was broken and exploitative as the reason for her expulsion.
Means then turned to alternative approaches to address what she described as widespread metabolic dysfunction caused primarily by malnutrition and too much ultra-processed food. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep, and exercise tracking app. The app also provides users with insights from blood tests and continuous blood sugar monitoring.
Financial disclosures show that she has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting health and wellness products such as specialty basil seed supplements, teas and elixirs, probiotic products, and a prepared meal delivery service.
An Associated Press investigation found that while recommending these products, she sometimes could not be disclosed She thought she could or could make a profit from the sale.
in Ethics declaration formMeans said he intends to resign from his position at Levels and relinquish or sell his stock options and shares in the company, if confirmed by the full Senate. She also vowed to stop working for Rupa, the lab work specialist company that developed the online course. She may continue to receive royalties from her book, “Good Energy,” but will not promote it, according to the filing.
The filing also states that she “will not obtain a direct financial interest in any entity on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of prohibited possessions.”
As surgeon general, Means would oversee 6,000 U.S. Surgeon Generals and potentially issue advisories to warn of public health threats.
She will be tasked with helping with promotion. Kennedy’s vast MAHA planIt calls for removing thousands of additives and chemicals from U.S. food, eradicating conflicts of interest in federal agencies, and promoting healthier foods in school lunches and other nutrition programs.
She will also be free to use the office to advocate on issues related to vaccination, although she will have no role in formulating or implementing vaccine policy. Means has largely avoided Kennedy. Controversial and debunked views on vaccinesHowever, she called for further investigation into their safety.
Former Fox News medical contributor named President Donald Trump’s first nominee for Surgeon General Janet Neshewatwas withdrawn after criticism from allies of the Republican president.
