The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has postponed the confirmation hearing for Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general. This delay comes as Means has gone into labor, according to a spokesperson from the committee. The committee, led by Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician by profession, had initially planned for Means to participate in the hearing virtually from her location in Kilauea, Hawaii.

Originally scheduled just two days post her due date, Means’ appearance before the committee was disrupted by her unexpected early labor. CNN has covered this development, while The Hill is awaiting further confirmation from the Senate committee.

President Trump put forward Casey Means as his choice for the surgeon general position in May, following the withdrawal of Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination over credential concerns. Casey Means, whose brother Calley Means serves as an advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., brings an impressive academic background, having earned her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2014.

After completing a four-year residency in head and neck surgery, Means decided to pivot her career towards addressing chronic disease, stepping away from her surgical path in 2018. It’s important to note that her medical license is currently inactive, as indicated on the Oregon Medical Board’s website.

She completed four years of residency in head and neck surgery, before resigning in 2018 to focus on battling chronic disease. Her medical license is listed as inactive.

In 2019, she co-founded Levels, which focuses on tracking health information through devices.
In a post on his Truth Social platform announcing his nomination of Means, the president touted her “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials,” referring to the movement spearheaded by Kennedy and his allies. Trump added that Means will work with Kennedy “to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic.”