Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, currently does not have the necessary votes for confirmation after a heated hearing.
At least two Senate Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have not committed to confirming Means.
Vaccines were a hot topic at the hearing.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) pressed Means about her views on vaccines.
“I do think it’s very important as a physician, and to rebuild trust in public health, to make sure that patients are encouraged to have informed consent with their doctor before getting any medication,” Means said.
“I believe vaccines save lives. I believe they are an important part of public health. I also do not want to not encourage patients to have a conversation with their doctor,” she continued.
“Informed consent is going to be part of building trust in public health,” Means added.
Footage below:
Surgeon General nominee Casey Means says she will be a proponent of informed consent for vaccines.
“I think it’s very important as a physician to rebuild trust in public health.”
“And to make sure that patients are encouraged to have informed consent with their doctor before… pic.twitter.com/IXEQV0zxkG
— Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) February 25, 2026
POLITICO explained further:
Winning the approval of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is almost certainly a prerequisite for confirmation. The panel is split between 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats, so any one Republican could sink Means’ chances if Democrats, as expected, vote against.
The Republican-controlled Senate has turned back very few of Trump’s nominees. But one of the first was Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Like the surgeon general, the CDC director serves within the health department. The White House withdrew the nomination of former Florida GOP Rep. Dave Weldon last March after Murkowski and Collins raised concerns about his vaccine views.
The surgeon general is the nation’s top doctor and a high profile spokesperson on public health.
The Senate last year did confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, despite his longstanding skepticism about vaccine safety. The Finance Committee handled that nomination and voted to approve him on a party-line vote.
Murkowski said on Wednesday it was too soon to say whether she supports Means’ confirmation.
“These issues are important to me,” she said of Means’ positions on vaccines. “Last year when the secretary was going through his confirmations, he made certain assurances about vaccines that in fairness I am not seeing have been kept.”
Cassidy also asked Means on mifepristone, measles, and vaccines leading to autism.
Check it out:
Sen. @BillCassidy questions Surgeon General Nominee Dr. Casey Means on mifepristone, measles, and vaccines leading to autism. pic.twitter.com/EJONxoz5dK
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 25, 2026
More from the Associated Press:
Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee, asked Means whether she would advise Americans to vaccinate against flu and measles amid outbreaks across the U.S. She didn’t make that commitment, instead emphasizing the importance of informed consent between patients and doctors.
Cassidy, a doctor himself, then asked Means if she accepts evidence that shows vaccines don’t cause autism.
“I do accept that evidence,” she said, referring to the research. “I also think that science is never settled.”
Means said she looked forward to seeing the results of a federal effort to study environmental contributors to autism. The National Institutes of Health is funding such research, and it’s not clear when those findings will be made public.
Means also was asked about concerns she has raised about the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending for all children in a move criticized by scientific and medical groups nationwide. She said she supports the CDC’s approach to the birth dose, but that promoting universal vaccination against the disease “at some point in childhood” was worthwhile.
Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray asked Means to address her past comments that birth control pills were being prescribed “like candy” and showed a “disrespect of things that create life.”
Means said she thinks oral contraceptives should be available to all women, but raised concerns about what she called “horrifying side effects” that can occur in certain populations.
“Doctors do not have enough time for a thorough informed consent conversation,” she said.
Watch the full confirmation hearing below: