US EditionTrump’s surgeon general pick won’t urge vaccines for measles, flu, whooping cough
Dr. Casey Means supports vaccines but advocates for shared clinical decision-making instead of universal mandates, reflecting recent shifts in federal vaccine policy.
- On Feb. 25, 2026, Dr. Casey Means, surgeon general nominee, told senators she supports parents discussing the MMR vaccine and flu vaccine with pediatricians rather than blanket public urgings.
- Her nomination drew scrutiny because past comments raised vaccine skepticism and her alliance with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heightened concerns, The New York Times reported.
- On specifics, Means defended the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth for infants of Hep B–positive mothers, saying `I believe certainly that is the most effective way`, and cited HHS officials shifting some vaccines to shared decision-making.
- Senators pressed her on flu-vaccine evidence and after hesitation, Means said vaccines reduce risk at the population level; if confirmed, she would lead the USPHS Commissioned Corps as Surgeon General.
- Her stance—supportive yet urging further study—reflects Means' assertion that `I believe vaccines save lives` and aligns with HHS's shared clinical decision-making and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine-autism re-examination.
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8 Articles
Surgeon General pick Casey Means grilled about shrooms and hawking MAHA products at lively Senate confirmation hearing
Dr. Casey Means, President Trump's pick to fill the role of surgeon general, which has been empty for over a year, faced a Senate committee grilling on Wednesday over conflicts of interest concerns, her interest in psilocybin, her stance on vaccines, and more.
Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means Sidesteps Vaccine Questions
Casey Means Tom Brenner/APSurgeon general nominee Casey Means told senators Wednesday that she could not directly recommend that mothers vaccinate their children because she’s not “an individual’s doctor.”“Every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting medication in their body,” Means said during her confirmation hearing as senators confronted her about her views on the Make America Healthy Again movement’s anti-vaccine agenda.It …
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