Casey Means Faces Glyphosate Questions in Senate Hearing: Takeaways from Her Exchange with Sen. Markey
President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general, casey means, faced questions on Wednesday about the president's recent executive order promoting more domestic production of glyphosate, an ingredient in weedkiller, and how that might conflict with her own beliefs about the potential effects of the chemical.
Casey Means Confronted on Glyphosate and Health
During her confirmation hearing, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., pressed Means about past comments linking glyphosate to cancer and asked whether she believes the president's executive order harms the health of families. The exchange centered on the possible tension between the executive action to expand domestic production of glyphosate and Means' publicly stated concerns about the chemical's health impacts.
Sen. Markey’s Line of Questioning
Sen. Markey framed his questions by pointing to past statements from Means and pressing her to reconcile those views with the administration's policy. He urged her to acknowledge that the president's stance appears to contradict her earlier statements, saying he was trying to help her "agree with yourself" and noting the contradiction between her past comments and the executive order.
Means' Public Stance, MAHA Ties and Alliances
Means is described in the hearing context as a wellness influencer and author. She is a supporter of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which largely opposes pesticides in food production, and is identified as an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In her testimony she emphasized a broad approach tied to MAHA goals.
What Means Said About Chemicals and Farming Practices
Means expressed grave concern about chemical exposures, saying the country must move away from using toxic inputs in the food supply and must study these chemicals more to understand their effects. She said she is "very gravely concerned about the health impacts of these chemicals. " Means later described the MAHA strategy as a plan to make sure American consumers are protected and to prioritize helping farmers move to more sustainable farming practices, calling those steps good for both planet and health and saying she would be a champion on that issue.
EPA Assessment and Points of Dispute
The Environmental Protection Agency is on record saying there is "no evidence glyphosate causes cancer in humans. " That statement formed part of the factual framework in which the hearing took place and was referenced during the exchange between Sen. Markey and Means. Markey also noted that "the MAHA movement is not happy with the Trump executive order, " adding, "That's the reality. "
Video and Framing From the Hearing
A video clip of parts of the hearing was presented alongside coverage of the exchange. The session included broader remarks by Means about the nation's health: she characterized health problems as reflecting a nation with a "broken heart" and a "society losing its mind. " Those comments formed part of the public record from her appearance before the committee.
The hearing record included appeals and site prompts surrounding the coverage: a request for monthly contributions, a call to support trusted journalism and civil dialogue, and a promotion of a politics newsletter with a prompt to check an inbox to confirm subscription. An author byline was listed on the item and a copyright notice spanning 1996–2026 was present. The publisher was identified on the page as a 501(c) not-for-profit organization.
Recent updates indicate this is the relevant public account of the hearing exchange; details may evolve as the confirmation process proceeds.
