Means was first nominated by President Donald Trump to be surgeon general in May. The president had scrapped his prior pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, after she misled on where she obtained her medical degree. Means testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Feb. 25, after her scheduled October nomination hearing was postponed because she went into labor.
Means, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has a medical degree but is not a practicing physician. In nominating Means, Trump cited her “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” and said she would “work closely” with Kennedy. She is an author, wellness influencer, and co-founder of Levels, a company that offers continuous glucose monitoring and other testing to people who sign up for a monthly membership. (For people without diabetes, there isn’t good evidence that wearing these monitors improves health, and health insurance doesn’t cover these services.) Means has said in government filings that she would divest her Levels stock and stock options if confirmed.
We looked into the sometimes-dueling claims from Means and the senators:
- Senators from multiple parties asked Means about her beliefs on whether vaccines cause autism, correctly noting the extensive scientific literature that has not identified any such link. Means avoided directly sharing her views, instead misleadingly referencing rising autism rates and urging more research into the issue. Experts have said that it’s unclear how much of a true increase in autism there has been.
- Means said that “anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message.” Vaccines are not her primary topic, but Means has made numerous public statements discouraging or questioning vaccines that have included incorrect or misleading information.
- Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Means disagreed over whether she meets the requirements to be Surgeon General because her medical license is inactive. A legal expert told us it’s an “open question,” but it’s a break from precedent for a nominated physician to lack an active license.
- Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Means had failed to disclose financial relationships with companies when promoting products as a wellness influencer, a claim Means denied. The exact timing of the payments relative to Means’ posts is uncertain, but an analysis by the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen suggests “potential” violations of federal rules.
The HELP committee includes 11 Democrats and 12 Republicans and is led by Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has emphatically defended vaccination. Two Republicans said following the hearing they were uncertain about their votes to advance Means’ nomination to the full Senate, and Cassidy did not comment.
The role of the surgeon general, according to the HHS website, is to be the “nation’s doctor” and to communicate the “best available scientific information” to the American people. The role requires leadership in addressing public health threats and advancing related science. The surgeon general also leads the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, a branch of the uniformed services dedicated to protecting public health.
