"Casey Means, Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, faced senators’ questions about her stance on vaccines, pesticides and RFK Jr.’s agenda."
"The Senate Health Committee grilled Casey Means on whether she supports certain vaccines, her past business entanglements and her previous criticism of pesticides, as they weigh whether she should serve as the nation’s top doctor.
President Donald Trump’s surgeon general nominee drew fire and praise from both sides of the aisle on Wednesday, reflecting the crosscutting appeal of the Make America Healthy Again coalition. Means, a health products entrepreneur and popular online personality, wrote the book considered the MAHA bible with her brother, Calley Means, a Trump administration official.
Staying largely unruffled, Means found common ground with many senators with her push to steer Americans’ diets away from ultra-processed foods. But she dodged most questions about her specific views on vaccinations and did not explicitly recommend all Americans receive the measles and flu shots, instead saying they should talk with their doctors.
The hearing at times served as a referendum on the agenda of her political patron, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has overhauled federal vaccine guidelines and upended the public health system. Means, like Kennedy, has publicly questioned the number of vaccines included in the childhood vaccine schedule, as well as the hepatitis B shot. Public health experts say the vaccine schedule is safe and effective."
Lauren Weber and Rachel Roubein report for the Washington Post February 25, 2026.
