Trump Nominee Implodes under Cross-Exam at Hearing
2/26/202638 mincomplete
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0:30All right, let's talk about this disastrous Senate hearing where Donald Trump's nominee to be
0:35the Surgeon General was just eviscerated under cross -examination by Democratic senators and also some
0:41Republican senators. So we've been without a Surgeon General for the entire Trump term thus
0:47far. So Trump has nominated someone by the name of Casey Means to be the
0:52next Surgeon General. She is not a licensed or practicing physician.
0:57She's been inactive for quite some time.
0:59She never finished her residency after she was at Oregon.
1:03She dropped out about three years in.
1:06She's been out there mostly selling kind of supplements.
1:09She talked about how these whispers that she heard in the air told her to
1:14do psychedelics. She's been a strong ally of RFK Jr.
1:19But again, someone who actually despises the medical community.
1:24And this is who Donald Trump has picked to be the Surgeon General.
1:27So I wanted to give you that framework going into this.
1:29So you have Senator Bernie Sanders cross -examining this Casey Means individual.
1:34And he says to her, so is health care a human right?
1:37Watch her response right here.
1:38Let's play this clip. We're running out of time.
1:41We are the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to
1:45all people as a human right.
1:48Dr. Means, is health care a human right should the United States join every other
1:52major country and say to everybody, whether you're young, old, rich or poor, you are
1:57entitled to health care as a human right?
1:59Yes, no, maybe. My focus is on ensuring that Americans have access to the best
2:06health care in the entire world, which, as you talked about, as I talked about,
2:09as everyone who's spoken to us talk about, is pretty much the opposite of what
2:12we have right now. We spend 2x every other country in the world, and we
2:15have the worst health. I agree.
2:17But is health care a human right?
2:19Will you join me in fighting for a national health care program?
2:22I will be, by your side, trying to get Americans access to the best health
2:29care in the world. Thank you very much.
2:32Next, you have Democratic Senator Murphy, by the way.
2:34He did an incredible job, didn't he, at the Midas Touch People State of the
2:38Union. And he cross -examines her about not disclosing the money she was making in
2:45the supplements that she was selling when she would go out and sell these various
2:49supplements. And her Senate financial disclosure showed that she was making all of this money,
2:54but she told people she was not making money selling these supplements when she would
2:58talk about them. Here, let's play this clip.
2:59Dr. Means, are you familiar with FTC policy that requires those who are recommending products
3:07online to disclose their financial connection to those companies?
3:12In particular, the document from the FTC says this, if you endorse a product through
3:17social media, your endorsement message should make it obvious when you have a relationship with
3:24the brand. Are you familiar with that?
3:27So, as you know, there is a pending complaint regarding your failure to adhere to
3:34those guidelines that basically makes the contention, and this committee has verified the data that
3:45underlies their complaint, that you routinely violated this policy, and that, in fact, in the
3:54majority of your posts for many of the products you recommend, you did not transparently
4:01reveal your financial connection. Let me give you an example.
4:05That's false. Well, let me give you an example.
4:09So, there's a prenatal vitamin called WeNatal.
4:13Your filings before this committee show that you started receiving compensation in the spring of
4:242024, and yet in September of 2024, you posted a video saying that you had
4:32no financial relationship to the company, just a big fan.
4:35And then in October, you said, not sponsored, just love these.
4:41But, in fact, you have documentation before this committee that showed when you said those
4:47things, you had a financial relationship.
4:50You had already started receiving money from that company.
4:54So, you weren't telling the truth when you said you were just a fan.
4:59You were actually receiving money, correct?
5:02If I, in the, in any post where I said I am not receiving money,
5:05I had not been receiving money at that time.
5:07But you had received partnership fees for this particular.
5:11or prenatal vitamin. In fact, prior to September and October, you had posted partnership links
5:20in which you get compensated based upon click -throughs, correct?
5:24I'm happy to look at whatever documentation you're talking about, but I do not, this
5:29is, it's incorrect and it's a false representation.
5:31And just to be very clear, I've spent the last several months working with the
5:36Office of Government and Ethics to be fully compliant with this process.
5:40I take it very seriously before, during, and after.
5:44If I am in office, I will be in full compliance with the Office of
5:46Government and Ethics. I think, as I've talked about, conflicts of interest are incredibly important
5:50to rectify if we're in public service, and I am fully committed to continuing to
5:56work with them. So let me give you some other.
5:58So just lots of lies, obfuscation, and potentially perjury taking place there.
6:02Then you have Democratic Senator Murray cross -examining Casey Means and asking her about her
6:08position on birth control, because Casey Means has said that birth control pills are a
6:13disrespect to life, and they carry with it horrifying health risks.
6:18And Casey Means is someone who wants to ban birth control.
6:21So watch this cross -exam.
6:23Let's play it. Mr. Chairman, thank you, Dr.
6:25Means, for being here. Let me start with this.
6:28You called birth control pills, I'm going to quote, a disrespect of life.
6:33And you said Americans, quote, use birth control pills like candy.
6:37You also claim, contrary to established science, that hormonal birth control has, quote, horrifying health
6:44risks for women. Now, here are the facts.
6:47There are 18 FDA -approved contraceptive methods, both hormonal and non -hormonal, and there are
6:55decades, decades of evidence showing that every one of these birth control methods is safe
7:00and effective. So I wanted to ask you, help me understand, should women trust the
7:05FDA, which approved all 18 methods of birth control, after a very rigorous look at
7:10the evidence? Or should they trust your statement that there are horrifying health risks to
7:16birth control, which contradicts that evidence?
7:19Thank you, Senator Murray, for your question.
7:24I'm curious if you're aware of what the side effects of hormonal contraception are.
7:29I'm curious if you are with the FDA that went through all of these and
7:35rigorously looked at them, or as Surgeon General, if you're going to tell the truth
7:39to the American people. I absolutely believe these medications should be accessible to all women.
7:45And also, all medications have risks and benefits.
7:48And in our current medical climate, with the burden on doctors, we do not have,
7:52doctors do not have enough time for thorough, informed consent conversations.
7:56Some of the horrifying side effects of birth control that I have mentioned include blood
8:01clots and stroke risk in women who have clotting disorders, who are smokers.
8:06So it's not general. I'm speaking, I'm very careful with my words.
8:10And when I say those comments, which are taken out of comment, out of context,
8:14I'm speaking about particular women that can be heard if there is not informed consent
8:18about their medical history, their lifestyle exposures, and their family history.
8:22I want those women, and I know you do too, to be able to have
8:25a thorough conversation with their doctor and know whether they are at higher risk for
8:29side effects when prescribed. Saying that is one thing, but saying on, you know, different
8:34shows that birth control pills are a disrespect of life is very different.
8:41I believe, I am passionate about women's health.
8:44And I think it is disrespectful.
8:46Saying that people use birth control pills like candy is very different than what you
8:50just said. We prescribe a huge amount of hormonal contraceptive, and I do not believe
8:56most of those conversations have informed consent because of the pressures that doctors are under
9:01because of our broken healthcare system.
9:02I want what's best for women, as do you.
9:04And I want every woman who could be at risk for a side effect to
9:09know if a woman died from a stroke or a blood clot because they did
9:14not have a thorough conversation.
9:15Thank you for your answer.
9:16You made that clear. Let me go to another.
9:17Next, you have Republican Senator Collins from the state of Maine talking about how Casey
9:25Means hears the whispers in the air, and the whispers in the air told her
9:30to do psychedelics. And she's been big on doing psychedelics after, as the whispers told
9:36her to do such things.
9:37Here, play this clip. That you were inspired to try psychedelics in what I can
9:45only describe as an internal voice that whispered, it's time to prepare.
9:53Illicit drug use remains a huge problem in this country.
9:59And this didn't happen in your teen years.
10:03According to your book, in 2021, you began using illicit psychedelic mushrooms.
10:13So my questions to you are twofold.
10:19One, do you stand by what you said in your book encouraging people to try
10:27psychedelics? And second, as surgeon general, should you be confirmed?
10:35How would you speak to the American people about the use?
10:39of illicit drugs? Thank you so much, Senator Collins.
10:44And I also thank you sincerely for engaging so deeply with my work and learning
10:49about me. This is a very important question.
10:54And I would start by just saying that I believe what I would say as
10:59a private citizen is, is in many cases different than what I would say as
11:03a public health official. Joining a team where the purpose of this role is to
11:07communicate absolutely the best evidence based science to the American people to keep them safe,
11:13thriving and healthy. And when it comes to psychedelic therapy for mental health issues, I
11:21think the science is still emerging.
11:22And so it would certainly not be a recommendation to the American people to do
11:27that under no circumstances. I do believe that there is exciting work being done in
11:34this area that needs to continue on on psychedelic therapies for PTSD and veterans for
11:42mental health issues. And some of the researchers who are doing this work have said
11:47it's some of the most promising and exciting of their entire careers.
11:50So I look forward to following that.
11:51But to be very clear, under no circumstances would I recommend that to the American
11:55people in this role. Our illicit drug use problem in our country is monumental and
12:02severe. And I look forward to working with you on on these issues that are
12:06so important. What did you mean by saying that you heard an internal voice whispering
12:13to you saying it's time to prepare?
12:17Yeah, in that in that passage of the book, I'm referring to my mother's passing,
12:23which happened. And she got a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer about a week after after
12:29that experience. And in my meditations and prayers at that time, I was having a
12:35deep sense that something ominous was coming.
12:38Now, just so I can bring out some receipts on Casey means right here.
12:42Here she was on a podcast talking about birth control.
12:45Let's play this clip. We've got a huge percentage of American women on birth control
12:50pills. That's, of course, post, hopefully post puberty.
12:52But we're putting women on exogenous estrogens for acne, for PCOS, for menstrual regularity, sometimes,
13:00of course, for actual birth control.
13:03But it's like it's very ubiquitous now in the environment.
13:07And it's like, when you kind of know this stuff, you're like, how are we
13:12allowing this to happen? And then, of course, it's affecting boys, too.
13:14Right. You know, and so I kind of just think about this world we're living
13:19in where it's tons of estrogens.
13:21It's not like there's a bunch of exogenous testosterone.
13:23Right. It's not like the plastics are all here.
13:25She is on the same show incorrectly linking vaccine use with autism.
13:31Just so, again, you can see what she said.
13:33Play this clip. It's like with vaccines, like, yeah, I bet that one vaccine probably
13:37isn't causing autism. But what about the 20 that they're getting before 18 months?
13:43Like, we don't look at it in synergistic, you know?
13:45And so that's that's a big problem.
13:47And this is where And here's what she says about the health care, American health
13:52care in general. Let's play this clip.
13:54The more specialties we invent in health care, the sicker we're getting.
13:59The more drugs we prescribe in the United States for these different chronic illnesses, the
14:05increase in the rates of these diseases.
14:08So the more drugs for the diseases, the higher amounts of these diseases we get.
14:13The more specialties, the more diseases.
14:15Literally, the more research that we publish on these diseases, the worse the diseases are
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16:10So next you have Senator Cassidy, who himself is a physician.
16:14He asks the question, do you believe that vaccines cause autism?
16:19Let's watch what she says.
16:21Here, play this clip. And some have been scared to vaccinate their children because they've
16:25been told incorrectly that vaccines cause autism.
16:30Do you believe that vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism?
16:37Senator Cassidy, you're a physician.
16:40I'm a physician. The reality is that we have an autism crisis that's increasing.
16:46And this is devastating to many families.
16:49And we do not know, as a medical community, what causes autism.
16:54The administration has just committed a huge amount of funding to look at the exposome
16:59of all environmental factors that could be contributing to autism.
17:02And until we have a clear understanding of why kids are developing this at higher
17:06rates, I think we should not leave any stones unturned.
17:10There's been a lot of evidence showing that they're not implicated.
17:14Do you not accept that evidence?
17:15I do accept that evidence.
17:17I also think that science has never settled.
17:19And I think that the effort to look at comprehensive cumulative exposures of our exposome
17:27into what is causing autism is important.
17:30And I look forward to seeing those results and sharing the best public health information
17:33with the American people. So there was another moment where MAGA Republican Senator Mark Wayne
17:39Mullen talked about, man, I'm ranting for too long.
17:42He was trying to prop her up and help her out.
17:44Because, of course, MAGA wants her to be the Surgeon General, like the number one
17:49doctor, basically. And she's not active.
17:52And she never is a sports specialist.
17:54And she was never a practicing physician, really, at all.
17:58But this is who MAGA wants, right?
17:59I mean, this is like they have Jim Jordan lead the Judiciary Committee.
18:03He's not a licensed lawyer, right?
18:04They've got RFK Jr. running the health department.
18:07And he's got no real background there other than his kind of quackery.
18:10But anyway, watch this. Watch what goes down between him and Senator Bernie Sanders.
18:15Play this clip. Together and say, hey, scrap ACA.
18:17Admit it doesn't work. Admit you guys made a mistake.
18:20And let's work at something with President Trump to make affordable health care healthy and
18:24affordable for everybody. But there's zero chance you guys could do that.
18:27Zero chance. Yet everybody we bring up here, you guys chastise for trying to make
18:31changes. God forbid we change and go after us and try to fix our broken
18:35system. Anyways, I ranted too long.
18:39Let's talk about some - Yes, you did.
18:41I'm sorry. I didn't ask your opinion on that.
18:43And if I cared about your opinion, I would ask you.
18:45But I don't care about your opinion.
18:46You're part of the system.
18:47You're part of the problem.
18:48You've been sitting here longer than I've even been alive.
18:51This is your problem. You should have fixed this a long time ago.
18:54You've been rel on it so long.
18:55What are you doing? I decided not to run for Surgeon General.
18:58You're the nominee. I decided not to accept that nominee.
19:02That is definitely something that we would never accept.
19:06Ma 'am, what's your passion about health care?
19:11What brought you into this?
19:13Thank you, Senator Mullen. For all of us, I'm just going to take a deep
19:17breath. Next, you have Senator Murray asking if you believe in SSRIs being dangerous to
19:25pregnant women. Let's play this clip.
19:28SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed type.
19:30Do you believe that SSRIs are dangerous for pregnant women?
19:35I don't want to be a broken record here, but I do believe that every
19:39medication has risks and benefits, and you need to have a nuanced conversation with your
19:43doctor before starting a medication.
19:47That is, I think, the most responsible position for any doctor to share.
19:50Well, strong evidence has shown that SSRIs are safe in pregnancy.
19:55Most do not increase the risk of birth defects.
19:58Certainly. But untreated depression in pregnancy puts women at risk.
20:02And I agree with you, but I still think a patient, I don't think it's
20:06responsible to make a Blinken statement for all Americans.
20:08Okay, well, if confirmed as Surgeon General, it will be your job to give accurate
20:12and up -to -date health information to the American people.
20:14I assume you will take that responsibility seriously.
20:17I absolutely do. It should be noted as well that Casey Means previously said the
20:22following about glyphosate, which the Trump regime now supports.
20:27She previously posted, pesticides are a slow -motion extinction event, the lasting domino effects on
20:32health, fertility, cancer, neurodegeneration, global biodiversity, topsoil integrity, ocean and aquatic life, and more, I
20:39think, could potentially push us to reach a tipping point.
20:42We're poisoning the intricate web of life for a false sense of convenience and efficiency.
20:48Please pay attention, speak up, and choose differently.
20:50And for the love of God, never buy Roundup.
20:53Now, Roundup is that product that has glyphosate in it, subject to all of those
20:58lawsuits with the links between glyphosate and non -Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers.
21:02So Democratic Senator Markey asks her, so do you think Trump's executive order promoting glyphosate
21:09is good? So are you supportive of that?
21:11You've been against it. Now, will you speak out against it?
21:14Will you use that voice and speak out?
21:16You're here under penalty of perjury.
21:18What are you going to say?
21:19And again, watch just what a con artist she is.
21:21Watch what a phony she is.
21:22Here, play this clip. The administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that
21:27Monsanto, one of the main producers of glyphosate, should be shielded from lawsuits.
21:34from Americans who develop cancers from being exposed to glyphosate -containing Roundup, which is a
21:42weed killer. Instead of fighting for families with cancer, the Trump administration is fighting against
21:48them. So again, back to you.
21:50Yes or no, do you think President Trump's executive order promoting the production of glyphosate,
21:57which you yourself have said likely causes cancer, will put American families' health at risk?
22:05Senator Markey, you and I both know that these issues around agriculture and health are
22:10extremely complex and are affecting farmers, consumers, food producers, food accessibility.
22:16My understanding of the executive order is that the thrust of this has to do
22:21with national security and decreased resilience and reliance on foreign countries for tools that farmers
22:27are currently using right now.
22:31But these are things, these are cancer -inducing chemicals, according to your own statements.
22:39We must, as a country, move away from using toxic inputs in our food supply,
22:44and we must study these chemicals more to understand their effects.
22:48I am very gravely concerned about the health impacts of these chemicals.
22:53I understand that. Doctor, I'm just trying to help you to agree with yourself.
22:57You've already said it in the past, but Trump is contradicting you.
23:01Our food system is dependent currently on these chemicals.
23:04There is a good faith movement towards moving our food system towards regenerative agriculture and
23:09precision application of pesticides. I believe in good faith that is happening within this administration.
23:15I do also believe that we must do that.
23:18It's not good faith. He's immunizing.
23:20He's arguing that there should be an immunization of Monsanto.
23:23Yeah. That's not good faith.
23:26That's just siding with the chemical manufacturing company that is, in fact, causing the cancers.
23:33So don't you think it does put people, families at risk if these chemicals are
23:38in the system? That's been your position historic.
23:41I think there's grave issues with these chemicals.
23:43I think that we are in a very complicated moment for agriculture and food.
23:48We cannot overturn the entire agriculture system overnight.
23:50That would hurt farmers. It would hurt food prices.
23:53This is a national security decision.
23:56That's not what the Trump administration said.
23:58And as a physician and as a surgeon general, my focus would be on making
24:01sure that we are protecting American consumers and their health and making sure that we
24:06are having transparent, honest conversations about these chemicals.
24:08I'm disappointed to see you back away from your efforts.
24:12I'm not. I am not in any way backing away from this issue.
24:14It is a core passion of my life.
24:15Look at Secretary Kennedy has already backed away from his prior statements that glyphosate is
24:21a carcinogen. More from Senator Murphy right here, cross -examining her.
24:26And you can see how she just BS's this entire thing.
24:30Watch how she tries to blame Senator Murphy's staffers, as Rupert says.
24:35Here, play this clip. Function Health, which is your lab testing platform, data shows that
24:40you disclosed your partnership with them less than a third of the time that you
24:45recommended their services online. Genova Diagnostics, you disclosed your sponsorship in only two of the
24:54nine times that you promoted Genova.
24:56Daily Harvest, you disclosed your sponsorship in only three of the 14 posts recommending that
25:04product. Zen Basal Seeds, you disclosed your partnership only two out of the 13 times
25:11that you recommended the product.
25:14This seems systemic. It seems that in the majority of instances in which you were,
25:19as a medical professional, recommending a product, you were hiding the fact that you had
25:25a financial partnership. You seem to be in regular, willful violation of the FTC rules.
25:33That is concerning, as someone who agrees with Senator Cassidy, that our focus has to
25:38be on restoring trust in the medical profession.
25:42And yet, over and over again, you seem to be, at scale, recommending products without
25:47telling your followers. And you have 200 ,000 newsletter subscribers.
25:52You have almost a million Instagram followers.
25:54And in only three out of 14 times on Daily Harvest, when you were promoting
26:00Daily Harvest, you disclosed that you're getting paid by them?
26:04It sounds like you have a lot to say about this issue.
26:06And I would be very interested to see how your staff looked at this data.
26:09I have a strong feeling that the way in which they gather this data is
26:14done intentionally to create these claims that you're making.
26:19Well, I have the backup here.
26:23I mean, will you acknowledge that in many instances, when you were promoting these products,
26:29you did not disclose that you had a financial relationship?
26:34I don't think that's true.
26:36And if it has happened, if it inadvertently has happened, I would rectify that immediately.
26:44However, I would be interested to see how your staff gathered this data.
26:47I'll be happy to say that you have - And I will conclude by saying
26:49that I take - I'll send this to all the committee members.
26:51I mean, it's pretty incontrovertible evidence.
26:53I take conflicts of interest incredibly seriously.
26:56I've worked diligently with the Office of Government Ethics to make sure that conflicts are
27:01addressed thoroughly. The committee will stand in recess for 15 minutes.
27:07Thank you. Then we have cross -examination from Democratic Senator Alsa Brooks from Maryland.
27:13Let's play it. From a company called Peak.
27:15Yes. Okay, and in your newsletter, number 33, you acknowledge that Peak has sponsored you.
27:20Now, were you aware that this company was served notice under California's Proposition 65 for
27:25containing and failing to disclose that lead, above the allowable amounts, carcinogen and reproductive toxin
27:31was present? I just want to repeat, I've worked with the Office of Government and
27:36Ethics. I'm not going to be taking any financial compensation.
27:39Okay, but we're talking about just the ones you've already.
27:40So this is an ethics.
27:41We're talking about conflicts. And I have been cleared by the Office of Government and
27:45Ethics through an exhaustive process.
27:47I have signed a letter that I will be fully compliant.
27:51And this is before, during, and after the term.
27:53I take it very seriously, and I'll work closely with them to make sure there
27:55are no conflicts. The point here is that you've received compensation from these companies, including
28:00Daily Harvest, where this company was subject to an investigation by the Food and Drug
28:06Administration after hundreds, became seriously ill after consuming the product.
28:11And these are companies that you have received money from.
28:14They've been investigated. And you are railing out against pharmaceutical companies that you say are
28:21advertising these products that mislead the public.
28:25And yet, you know, you've received compensation from companies and you've promoted them in your
28:30newsletter. And you're doing the same thing the pharmaceutical companies are doing by advertising and
28:36influencing people for these products that have been deemed to be unsafe for the public.
28:44Now, let me just move on as well to vaccinations.
28:48Here we have Democratic Senator Kaine.
28:50Let's play it over here.
28:51Report on January 7, just a month or so ago.
28:55Secretary Kennedy stated, quote, There is no evidence, no evidence that the flu vaccine prevents
29:02serious disease or that it prevents hospitalization or deaths in children.
29:08Do you agree with that statement?
29:11Senator Kaine, as I said, I believe vaccines save lives and are an important part
29:18of it. But I'm not asking about the general.
29:20I heard that testimony earlier, but the statement is there is no evidence that the
29:26flu vaccine, and I want to be scrupulous about this, prevents serious disease or that
29:32it prevents hospitalization or death in children.
29:35You're an MD. Your qualifications have been much discussed earlier.
29:40Do you agree with the statement that there's no evidence that the flu vaccine prevents
29:46serious disease or that it prevents hospitalizations or death in children?
29:50I have not personally seen that quote or that article.
29:53I just want to review it before I comment on that.
29:56I'm going to set the quote aside.
29:57I'll introduce for the record an article.
30:00CBS News, RFK Jr. says it may be better if fewer children receive the flu
30:04vaccine dated January 7, 2026.
30:06Without objection. Let me set aside the quote and set aside Secretary Kennedy and set
30:12aside the article. Do you believe that there is evidence that the flu vaccine prevents
30:18serious disease and prevents hospitalization or deaths in children?
30:23I believe that all patients should talk to their doctors.
30:28And so do I. And that's not what I'm asking you.
30:32Your qualifications have been much discussed.
30:35There is a mountain of evidence about this.
30:39Do you believe that there's no evidence that there's the flu vaccine has efficacy in
30:45reducing serious injury or hospitalization?
30:52This is an easy one, doctor.
30:54This is an easy one.
30:57I support the CDC's guidance on the flu vaccine.
30:59And I will always be working with the CDC, ASIP, and the agency.
31:03So you believe it is an efficacious vaccine to reduce hospitalization?
31:09Is or is not. Is.
31:10You believe it is. As I said, I support the CDC's guidance on the flu
31:14vaccine. Let me just say, do you think the flu vaccine reduces the risk of
31:18hospitalization or serious injury? I've said it.
31:22You're a doctor. I believe vaccines save lives.
31:25I believe they're an important part of public health strategy.
31:27The flu vaccine. Does it reduce the risk of injury or hospitalization?
31:31At the population level, I certainly think that it does.
31:36Let me introduce for the record, if I can, Mr.
31:37Chair. CDC seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness studies dated May 30, 2025 from the CDC that
31:44goes into this in some detail.
31:46Without objection. This is not a hard question.
31:50I answered your question. Democratic Senator Kim had an opportunity to cross -examine her.
31:53Let's play it. I guess I wanted to just dive into this because, you know,
31:58with the Commission Corps, it's saying, as a Commission Corps officer of the U .S.
32:02Public Health Services, keeping professional licensure and certification up to date is mandatory.
32:07So I guess I just wanted to get a sense of how you're squaring this
32:11here. Well, I do have a medical license right now.
32:14It is voluntarily placed on inactive status because I'm not actively seeing patients at this
32:18time. The HHS and Admiral Brian Christine have testified in front of this committee that
32:27I am eligible to serve as the medical director of the HHS.
32:30How does that square it say here?
32:31It says professional, keeping a professional licensure and certification up to date is mandatory.
32:36Is yours up to date?
32:38I have an active, I have a medical license that is unexpired right now.
32:43I, Admiral Christine has testified that I'm eligible to serve in this role.
32:46I'm the president's nominee for surgeon general.
32:48And further questions about that, we'll have to go to that.
32:50So if we were to expand that, would you say that like with the other
32:54others in the commission core, do you think we should remove the mandatory licensure for
32:59them to be able to participate in the core?
33:04That's not a question that I've considered.
33:06I don't think it's actually relevant to this particular hearing.
33:10It's relevant insofar as I'm just trying to think through if you're in this job,
33:14you know, how are you going to be proceeding, you know, and what kind of
33:18advice you're going to be able to give to the American people and the credibility
33:21that they will have in understanding what your advice is.
33:24Also, in terms of, you know, if you are a leader of the commission core,
33:27I'm trying to get a sense, are you going to deprioritize having an active license
33:31in the same way that, you know, you believe that you can do the job
33:35of a surgeon general without having an active license?
33:38Do you believe that that is the case for others in the commission core, that
33:41they can do their job without having an active license?
33:44Senator Kim, I'm a medical doctor.
33:47I graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine.
33:49I have a medical license.
33:52My professional history is a feature.
33:53It's not a bug. I have had a unique history that has merged entrepreneurship, public
33:59health advocacy, faculty, course direction at Stanford University, as well as being an editor of
34:04a medical journal and a biomedical researcher.
34:07And in these complex times for American healthcare, that type of multidisciplinary history is going
34:11to be extremely valuable for the American people.
34:13I don't discount your, you know, your accomplishments and your education.
34:16But what I'm trying to get a sense of here is your ability to be
34:21able to engage with our current medical professionals to show respect.
34:25I practice medicine. I owned my own medical practice and I've seen thousands of patients
34:29and I did over four years of surgical training, which is more than many of
34:33our past surgeon generals completed who did medical specialties.
34:37I have completed extremely thorough medical training and I have the ability through these experiences
34:44to communicate excellent public health information.
34:47And I really look forward to working with the Commissioned Corps.
34:50This is an incredible group of people, 5 ,000 uniformed officers who are committing their
34:54lives to helping the American people.
34:56And personally, just to share a little bit of a vision for that - And
35:04here, Casey Means, Trump's nominee for a surge in general, won't unambiguously say that mothers
35:10should have their kids vaccinated against measles.
35:13Let's play it. Had two children die from measles in West Texas.
35:17We've now have an outbreak of like a thousand children almost in South Carolina area.
35:22You're a mom. We're on verge, we're on the verge of losing our measles elimination
35:27status. Would you encourage other mothers to have their children vaccinated against measles with the
35:33MMR vaccine? Like you, I'm a physician.
35:38I believe vaccines save lives.
35:40I believe that vaccines are a key part of every public, of any infectious disease,
35:44public health strategy. And I would work with you, the CDC, the NIH, ACEV, FDA.
35:51But would you encourage mothers to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine, seeing how
35:56we've had children die and this outbreak in South Carolina?
35:59I'm supportive of vaccination. I, I do believe that each patient, mother, parent needs to
36:05have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they're putting in their body and
36:09their children's bodies. If you're a nation's doctor, would you encourage her to have her
36:12child vaccinated? I'm not an individual's doctor and every individual needs to talk to their
36:16doctor before putting a medication in their body.
36:18I absolutely am supportive of, of, of the measles vaccine.
36:22And I do believe vaccines save lives and are important part of the public health
36:25strategy. What about the flu vaccine?
36:28Here, play this clip. Tough flu season this year.
36:30Would you, as past surgeon generals have, encourage Americans to get vaccinated with the flu
36:36vaccine? At the risk of sounding repetitive, I do think it's very important as a
36:42physician and to rebuild trust in public health to make sure that patients are encouraged
36:49to have informed consent with their doctor before getting any medication.
36:54I believe vaccines save lives.
36:56I believe they're an important part of public health.
36:58I also do not want to not encourage patients to have a conversation with their
37:01doctor. I think it's incredibly important and informed consent is going to be part of
37:05building trust in public health.
37:07There you have it, folks.
37:08Let me know what you think.
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37:29Borough Talks, the Borough Market podcast is back.
37:31We've got a brilliant lineup for you this series.
37:34We've got Elliot Hastrudi talking all things awful at his amazing restaurant Camille, Brindisa's Monica
37:40Linton sharing her thoughts on the evolution of British cuisine, and the founders of Jenki
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