Trump's MAHA pick for surgeon general flounders amid GOP doubts

Ars Technica
March 23, 2026
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President Trump's surgeon general pick Casey Means faces confirmation trouble after at least four Republican senators—Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis—raised concerns about her medical qualifications, vaccine views, and wellness influencer advice. Means, nominated over 10 months ago and a close ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., largely dodged senators' questions during her confirmation hearing about vaccines including flu, measles, and hepatitis B shots for newborns. Just one of those four GOP senators could be enough to block her nomination from advancing beyond the Senate Health Committee. Her refusal to explicitly recommend life-saving vaccines while avoiding contradiction of Kennedy's anti-vaccine positions has intensified Republican skepticism about her fitness for the role.

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