The White House is calling on the Senate to confirm Dr. Casey Means as U.S. surgeon general "without further delay," even as President Donald Trump signaled uncertainty about her path forward in the confirmation process.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he did not know how Means was faring in the nomination process more than a month after her Senate confirmation hearing. "We have a lot of great candidates," he added. In a statement late Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Means' qualifications and said Trump continues to support her nomination.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and some medical public health experts have raised concerns about Means' qualifications and past statements. Her controversial stances on vaccines, birth control and pesticides have drawn criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum.
Means' past skepticism of vaccines has particularly concerned公共卫生 advocates. At her Senate confirmation hearing in February, she often sidestepped questions about these issues, refusing to directly endorse vaccine recommendations amid an ongoing measles outbreak.
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served during Trump's first administration, has argued that not having an active medical license should disqualify Means from the role. "Her not having an active license is a failure to meet a basic operational requirement for the job," Adams wrote on X last week.
What the Right Is Saying
The White House has defended Means as qualified for the position. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Dr. Casey Means "has spent her entire career as an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and researcher bringing attention to America's chronic disease epidemic and how our healthcare system is failing the American people."
Some Senate Republicans have also expressed concerns. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, pressed Means on her past skepticism of hepatitis B shots for newborns at her confirmation hearing. "I need to try to understand your thinking on that, given the medical consensus that this vaccine prevents this serious liver disease and liver cancer," Murkowski said.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked Means about her past use of psilocybin. "It's the link to illicit drugs that I'm having a hard time with," Collins said.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, declined to say when the panel might act on the nomination. "No comment on Casey," Cassidy told NBC News on Thursday.
What the Numbers Show
Means' nomination has been pending for more than one month since her Senate confirmation hearing. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has not scheduled a vote on her nomination.
If confirmed, Means would become surgeon general overseeing the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps — a federal branch that requires its officers to maintain active medical licenses in their respective fields. Means currently lacks an active medical license and has not completed a residency.
The Senate adjourned for a two-week Easter recess following the committee's last scheduled session. Means must first be approved by committee before her nomination can advance to a full Senate vote.
The Bottom Line
The White House's public pressure on the Senate to confirm Means comes as her nomination faces uncertainty. Trump himself indicated he was unsure how her confirmation was progressing, even as his administration publicly supports her candidacy.
The path forward remains unclear. Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy has not committed to a timeline, and the Senate is now in recess until mid-April. Means would become a key ally to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his "Make America Healthy Again" movement if confirmed, but her lack of an active medical license and controversial statements on vaccines remain significant obstacles with some Senate Republicans.
What to watch: Whether the committee schedules a vote after the Easter recess, and whether any additional Republican senators publicly oppose her nomination based on her past statements or lack of active licensure.