Casey Means Faces Lawmakers’ Questions on Glyphosate at Confirmation Hearing
casey means, President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general, faced questions Wednesday during her confirmation hearing about the president’s executive order promoting more domestic production of glyphosate, an ingredient in weedkiller, and whether the order conflicts with her past statements on the chemical.
During the hearing, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., asked casey means — a wellness influencer and author — about past comments in which she said glyphosate causes cancer and whether she believes the executive order harms the health of families. The exchange focused on how her prior statements align with the administration’s push on domestic glyphosate production.
Markey pressed Means on her ties to the Make America Healthy Again movement, known as MAHA, and on her relationship with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Means said she is a supporter of the MAHA movement, which largely opposes pesticides in food production, and identified Kennedy Jr. as an ally during testimony at the confirmation hearing.
Means told the panel, "We must as a country move away from using toxic inputs in our food supply and we must study these chemicals more to understand their effects. I am very gravely concerned about the health impacts of these chemicals. " She later framed MAHA’s strategy as "going to make sure American consumers are protected, and that we are entering an era where we are going to prioritize helping farmers move to more sustainable farming practices. I think those are all good things. I think it's extremely important, both for our planet and our health, and I'm going to be a champion on that issue. "
Casey Means pressed on Trump's glyphosate order
Sen. Markey told Means, "I understand that, Doctor. I'm just trying to help you to agree with yourself. You've already said it in the past, but Trump is contradicting you, " as he raised the apparent tension between her past statements and the executive order promoting glyphosate production. Markey added that "The MAHA movement is not happy with the Trump executive order. " The exchange occurred during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Markey highlights past comments and MAHA ties
At the hearing, Markey asked about Means' previous assertions that glyphosate causes cancer and whether those assertions square with the president's policy. Means, identified in questioning as a wellness influencer and author, reiterated her concerns about pesticides and said the MAHA movement would work to protect consumers and support sustainable farming practices.
EPA statement on glyphosate and cancer
The Environmental Protection Agency says there is "no evidence glyphosate causes cancer in humans. " That statement was raised during the hearing as lawmakers weighed Means' past comments against federal assessments of the chemical.
What Means said about national health and next steps
Earlier in coverage of her testimony, a clip showed the nominee saying health problems reflect a country with a "broken heart" and a "society losing its mind. " The hearing transcript and exchanges make clear she framed MAHA as a consumer-protection and farming-practice effort. It is unclear in the provided context what the next procedural steps or vote schedule are for her nomination.
The hearing coverage carried a byline for Wyatte Grantham-Philips.
