Warren, Kim Press Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means on Wellness Industry Connections, Conflicts of Interest

Warren, Kim Press Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means on Wellness Industry Connections, Conflicts of Interest

Senators Seek Commitments to Resolve Conflicts, Restrict Future Lobbying

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) pushed for answers from Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means about potential conflicts of interest stemming from her former clients and employers, as well as future lobbying and employment opportunities. The senators highlighted questions about her ability to faithfully execute her duties as Surgeon General, if confirmed.

"Just as we need ethics guardrails to prevent Big Pharma companies from using insider connections to exert undue influence on policies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), so too should ethical guardrails apply to all conflicts of interest," wrote the senators.

Over the course of her career as an influencer, Dr. Means has received hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote a variety of wellness products and invested in numerous wellness companies. These financial interests raise reasonable suspicion from the American public about her ability to provide impartial advice as Surgeon General. Additionally, should Dr. Means use her position to assist the wellness industry and then work for the industry immediately after leaving office, it could raise questions about whether she acted in the best interest of the American people while in office or instead made decisions that were influenced by the prospect of future compensation.

"You and other leaders in the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement have been vocal critics of conflicts of interest in the pharmaceutical industry and have championed the need for 'unbiased people' to make health-related guidelines," the senator continued. "Yet the '$1.5 trillion global wellness market' also presents conflict-of-interest risks for federal decision-makers."

Senators Warren and Kim are seeking the following commitments from Dr. Means to resolve the ethics concerns:

• She should commit to recusing herself for four years from all particular matters likely to impact the financial interests of her former clients and employers, as multiple former HHS officials agreed to.

• She should commit not to seek compensation from a company that she interacted with while in government for at least four years after leaving office.

• She should commit not to engage in lobbying activities for four years after leaving office, as multiple Biden appointees agreed to.

The senators concluded, "By making these commitments, you would increase Americans' trust in your ability to serve the public interest during your time as Surgeon General, rather than the interests of supplement manufacturers or other industries with which you have financial entanglements."

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