• Posted October 31, 2025

Dr. Casey Means’ Senate Confirmation Postponed After Going Into Labor

Dr. Casey Means’ confirmation hearing to become the next U.S. surgeon general was postponed Thursday after she went into labor with her first child, officials confirmed.

Means, who was nominated in May by President Donald Trump, had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that morning.

"Everyone is happy for Dr. Means and her family. This is one of the few times in life when it's easy to ask to move a Senate hearing," a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told CBS News.

The committee said the hearing would be rescheduled.

If confirmed, Means would oversee the 6,000-member U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a branch of HHS that responds to national health crises and advises on public health policy.

Means, a Stanford-trained physician, co-founded Levels, a technology company that helps people track glucose levels in real time. 

She has also become a well-known figure in the health and wellness world through her writing and social media presence.

After completing training to become a surgeon, Means shifted her focus from conventional medicine to exploring the "root causes of many of the most common Western chronic diseases," according to her website.

She’s a close ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and, along with her brother, Calley Means, helped coordinate Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump, according to some of Kennedy’s peers.

Both Casey and Calley have built large followings online, speaking out about how food and drug companies can strongly influence Americans’ health.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more on the role of the surgeon general.

SOURCE: CBS News, Oct. 30, 2025