Dr. Casey Means is blaming Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, for killing her nomination to be surgeon general.
Murkowski told the Trump administration she would not support Means' nomination, which would mean her nomination would not win the approval of the Senate Health Committee, Means told Politico.
Murkowski had said she could not commit to voting for Means following a confirmation hearing in which she questioned the nominee about her views on vaccines.
The withdrawal of Means' nomination to be the next U.S. surgeon general is a blow to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement, which championed Means for the role as the country's top doctor despite her nontraditional path in medicine and some controversial past remarks on vaccines and other health topics.
During the hearing, Means said vaccines save lives but declined to say she would encourage parents to vaccinate their children, instead urging families to consult their doctors.
Means, a wellness influencer and prominent figure in the MAHA movement, told Politico she believes GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a physician, and Susan Collins of Maine also opposed her nomination.
"Three Republican senators chose to block my nomination moving through the health committee," Means said.
"In doing so, [they] really put a vote towards the status quo, rather than rise into this monumental occasion to work to evolve our broken healthcare system and have a bigger conversation about why Americans are so sick," Means added.
Means said she spoke to Collins and Murkowski on the phone, but Murkowski still would not support her.
"I was able to get on the phone with Sen. Collins and Sen. Murkowski and try to bridge understanding," Means said to Politico. "Then it became clear over recent days that it would not move out of committee."
A spokesperson for Murkowski confirmed the phone call to Politico, saying Murkowski expressed reservations about Means' nomination.
"Those reservations were unchanged following that call," Joe Plesha said.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he's nominating radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Means' path forward stalled in the Senate.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Cassidy "has stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General."
"I nominated Casey, a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone, with perhaps the possible exception of ME!" Trump wrote.
"Nevertheless, despite Senator Cassidy's intransigence and political games, Casey will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important Health issues facing our Country, such as the rising childhood disease epidemic, increased autism rates, poor nutrition, over-medicalization, and researching the root causes of infertility, and many other difficult medical problems. Casey, thank you for your service to our Nation!"
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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