Casey Means, nominated to serve as the next U.S. Surgeon General, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 25, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
President Donald Trump's Surgeon General pick faced a tough grilling on Wednesday at her Senate confirmation hearing, and the Wall Street Journal's editorial board was not impressed.
Casey Means, a wellness entrepreneur, badly stumbled when pressed on vaccine safety, dodging straightforward questions about childhood immunizations and autism.
When asked about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s debunked autism-vaccine claims, Means equivocated that "we do not know what, as a medical community, causes autism," and "we should not leave any stone unturned."
The Journal editors called her out.
"She’s right that we don't know all of the causes of autism, but countless studies have ruled out vaccines. Why not say that?" they asked.
Things didn't get better when senators asked if she'd encourage measles vaccination. Instead of a simple yes, Means deflected: "I believe every patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their physician."
The Journal pointedly asked: "How about a simple 'yes'?" She then admitted "vaccines are not part of my core message," a stunning response for someone seeking the nation's top public health job.
"So what will be her message? Hard to tell, but she has made a career of promoting unproven and dangerous health remedies like raw milk and psychedelic drugs, which she has said she experimented with," the editors chided.
The Journal's verdict: "What HHS needs are serious people who will tell the truth and can begin to restore confidence in public-health advice."