Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for the position of U.S. Surgeon General, missed her highly anticipated Senate confirmation hearing this week due to an unexpected but significant life event: she went into labor. The hearing, which was set to take place virtually, was postponed indefinitely after Means began childbirth. According to CNN, the hearing had been scheduled just two days after her due date, raising questions about the timing and planning of the event.
The Means siblings, Casey and her brother Calley, have both become notable figures within the so-called “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, a wellness-oriented faction gaining influence within conservative circles. However, both have recently exited the political scene, at least temporarily—Casey due to her personal circumstances and Calley due to the expiration of his government appointment.
Calley Means, who served in the White House as a “Special Government Employee” (SGE), has also quietly left his post. The New York Times reported that Calley’s 130-day term as an SGE expired about a month ago, but his departure was never formally announced by the White House. Despite this, he continued to be referred to as a government employee in media coverage and at public events. Calley told the Times that these references were inaccurate following his departure.
Both siblings have drawn criticism for their lack of conventional health expertise and for potential conflicts of interest related to their private business ventures. Calley, an entrepreneur, co-founded Truemed, a company that allows consumers to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to purchase wellness products and services that often lack scientific backing. Among the offerings are expensive items like cold plunge tubs, red light therapy devices, $10,000 personal saunas, and various nutritional supplements. Truemed stands to gain from Trump administration proposals to expand the types of expenses HSAs and FSAs can cover, further raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
Public Citizen, a prominent government watchdog group, welcomed Calley’s departure. Jon Golinger, Democracy Advocate at Public Citizen, criticized the Trump administration for its use of the Special Government Employee designation, arguing that it allowed influential figures to bypass important financial disclosure and anti-corruption safeguards. “The clock ran out on Mr. Means, and we’re glad he finally resigned,” Golinger said in a statement.
Casey Means does have a medical degree from Stanford, but her credentials as a healthcare leader have come under scrutiny. She left her medical residency before completion, does not hold an active medical license, and lacks board certification. Instead, she has become a prominent promoter of “functional medicine,” an alternative-health philosophy often criticized by mainstream medical experts for its lack of scientific rigor and reliance on unproven treatments.
In addition to her alternative medicine advocacy, Casey co-founded Levels, a company that promotes continuous health tracking, including the use of blood glucose monitors for people without diabetes or prediabetes. Critics argue that such practices are unnecessary for healthy individuals