Trump's Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means Confirmation Hearing Delayed Due to Labour

The Senate hearing for Dr Casey Means, the surgeon general picked by US President Donald Trump, has been put on hold because she went into labour, the Senate health committee spokesperson announced on Thursday.

The announcement came just a few hours before the Stanford University School of Medicine graduate is scheduled to appear online for her confirmation hearing at 11:00am on 30 October.

The next hearing for the 38-year-old doctor, who is pregnant with her first child, is still unrevealed.

'Everyone's happy for Dr. Means and her family,' Deputy press secretary for the Health and Human Services Department Emily Hilliard said as reported by PBS News. 'This is one of the few times in life it's easy to ask to move a Senate hearing.'

Who is Dr Means?

Means' popularity soared after becoming a wellness influencer for traditional medicine. She was expected to talk about her vision for eradicating chronic diseases by focusing on its root causes.

Her ideas work closely with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose 'Make America Healthy Again', became very useful.

Born on 24 September 1987 to Grady and Gayle Means, the doctor quit her surgical residency then eventually chose to practice a type of alternative medicine called functional medicine in Portland, Oregon, in 2019. But her clinic closed permanently in 2021.

Means is also the co-author of a wellness book called 'Good Energy' together with her brother, Cailey, in 2024.

Her medical license became inactive in early 2024, but President Trump picked her as his surgeon general after he withdrew Janette Nesheiwat's nomination.

Means' Political Ties

The doctor is well-connected in American politics. Her father, Grady, used to serve as an assistant to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in the 1970s. They handled the health and human welfare issues at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during that time.

Grady also worked as a managing partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Trump picked Means because of her strong links to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ideology.

'Casey has impeccable 'MAHA' credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,' Trump's social media post reads. 'Her academic achievements, together with her life's work, are absolutely outstanding.'

Trump also claimed that 'Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History.'

However, the US president changed his statement on social media the following day after receiving questions about Means' qualifications.

As reported by People, an Oval Office reporter asked him, 'You just announced a new nominee for the US surgeon general who never finished her residency and is not a practicing physician. Can you explain why you picked her to be America's top doctor?'

Trump answered that he chose Means because RKF Jr., 'thought she was fantastic.' He also mentioned that he does not actually know his nominee personally.

Means' confirmation hearing is expected to be announced as soon as possible.