Why Don't We Have a Surgeon General?

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Maintenance Phase 1h 13m 4 speakers 6 chapters transcribed 1 month ago
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

Michael Hobbes 0:11
Okay, I actually have one.
Aubrey Gordon 0:15
I'm on fire. He came prepared, maybe.
Michael Hobbes 0:16
Welcome to Maintenance Phase, the podcast that has nothing to say about the surgeon specific, but a lot to say about the Surgeon General.
Aubrey Gordon 0:25
I like that one so much. I'm Michael Hobbs. I'm Aubrey Gordon. If you would like to support the show, you can do that at patreon.com slash maintenance phase. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcast Premium. It's the same audio content, Michael. Aubrey. We are a year and a half into Donald Trump's second term, and we still don't have a Surgeon General. I have not been following this at all. You and most people. There's been so much shock and awe in so many places that it's like hard to keep track. We're all sort of like drinking from a fire hose in terms of the news cycles, right?

Why is there still no Surgeon General more than a year into Trump's second term?

Michael Hobbes 1:02
I know. Whenever I hear about like an out-of-work Fox News host, I'm like, yeah, they're probably the Surgeon General now. Who fucking cares?
Aubrey Gordon 1:07
Today, we're going to talk about the three sort of Maha-aligned doctors who have been nominated for Surgeon General. Wait, so they're all doctors? That's actually kind of surprising.
1:18
Yeah.
Aubrey Gordon 1:18
Well, hang on. Let's not get too crazy.
Michael Hobbes 1:23
I thought it was going to be like Omarosa or somebody.
Aubrey Gordon 1:25
We haven't done like a real Maha update in a minute because it's so often just like a soul sucking slog of a thing. Yes. I would just like to preface this one by saying it's pretty fun. Good. I want like real housewives shit. The Surgeon General is often referred to as America's top doctor. Their role is in part focused on translating scientific findings into guidance for members of the public. So this is like a very maintenance phase role.
Michael Hobbes 1:56
He knows when you've been sleeping. He knows when you're not getting enough beef tallow.
Aubrey Gordon 1:59
The Surgeon General can issue reports and recommendations, but the office doesn't have the authority to create policies.
Michael Hobbes 2:07
It's actually kind of funny we have this role because it is just like a guy who says stuff in chief.
Aubrey Gordon 2:12
It is kind of. Well, except there is a very functional part of the role. The Surgeon General leads over 6,000 uniformed officers in the U.S. Public Health Service. So it's a role where it's like really helpful to be both a seasoned health care provider and a really strong, clear communicator. Yeah. Don't start laughing yet.
Michael Hobbes 2:34
Foreshadowing?
Aubrey Gordon 2:35
Foreshadowing? Okay. The process for becoming the Surgeon General is that the president nominates someone to become the Surgeon General. The Senate confirms that person and then they serve a four year term. The nominee has to pass through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the HELP Committee. which is currently split with 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats. So it's Republican controlled, but only just. It is also a committee where Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins are both on the committee. So you got a couple of real mavericks. Pieces of work. Couple of mavericks. So today we're going to talk about the three nominees for Surgeon General and why their nominations haven't been a cinch even in a Republican-controlled Senate, in a Republican-controlled committee.
Aubrey Gordon 3:27
Okay. So in November of 2024, after he was elected to his second term, Donald Trump nominated Jeanette Neshwat to be Surgeon General. His statement on Dr. Neshwat's nomination describes her as, quote, a proud graduate of the University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences. At the time of her nomination, she was serving as the medical director for CityMD in New York, which is a chain of urgent care clinics. First red flag. She... Is one of five children in her family, and she is not the only one with ties to the Trump administration. Her sister, Julia, was a Homeland Security advisor under the first Trump administration. Julia's husband, so Jeanette's brother-in-law. is the current ambassador, U.S.
Aubrey Gordon 4:23
ambassador to the U.N. He also represented Florida as a member of the U.S. House from 2019 to 2025. His name is Mike Waltz. Is that a name that rings a bell?
Unknown 4:35
No.
Aubrey Gordon 4:35
Well, Michael, he's the guy who added a journalist to a signal chat about War Play M. Oh, OK.

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Chapters

6 chapters
1 What is the main topic discussed in this episode? 0:11–1:02 2 Why is there still no Surgeon General more than a year into Trump's second term? 1:02–6:06 3 What are the official duties and limits of the U.S. Surgeon General? 6:06–12:15 4 Why was Jeanette Neshwat's 2024 nomination withdrawn after resume scrutiny? 12:15–42:18 5 How did Maha and right‑wing critics react to Neshwat's positions on COVID and vaccines? 42:18–59:46 6 Who is Casey Means and how did her medical and business background shape her nomination? 59:46–1:12:51

Speakers

4 identified
Aubrey Gordon 49 min Michael Hobbes 15 min Casey Means 2 min Tim Kaine 2 min
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