Two Republican senators say they remain undecided on voting to confirm Dr. Casey Means, President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Politico reported.
GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both told Politico they are undecided on how they would vote after a confirmation hearing in which she was pressed for her views on vaccines and other health matters.
If all Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee vote in opposition to Means — as expected — any one Republican could doom her chances of making it out of committee and being confirmed.
"These issues are important to me," Murkowski told Politico about Means' skepticism 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," Murkowski added, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was confirmed by the Senate last year.
In the hearing, Means did not rule out a connection between autism and vaccines.
"We do not know what, as a medical community, causes autism," Means said. "We should not leave any stones unturned."
Overall, Means said she was supportive of vaccines and said they save lives.
"Every patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their physician," Means said at the hearing.
Collins said she has "not yet made a decision" and told Politico she has more questions for her.
In the hearing, Collins grilled Means on her past use of psychedelic drugs and a book Means wrote in which she told people to "consider psilocybin-assisted therapy."
"I'm concerned," Collins told Means.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chair of the committee and a physician himself, said he would not comment on his vote.
Republicans on the committee including Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jim Banks of Indiana, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Jon Husted of Ohio told Politico they support Means and would vote to confirm her.
Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Ashley Moody of Florida declined to comment for the Politico report.
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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