Hawley Shares His Concerns About Oz Leading CMS

Leah Barkoukis | March 20, 2025 8:30 AM

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed concerns on Wednesday about Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“I’ve been reading up on Dr. Oz - I see he’s praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments & puberty blockers for kids in the past. And has also criticized state laws protecting life,” the senator wrote on X, sharing a list of questions he directed to Oz after his confirmation hearing last week.

Some of the questions include:

On your television program, you hosted various transgender advocates as well as a surgeon who performed transgender surgery. You also invited minor children to discuss switching genders and praised parents for helping their children “transition.” Have your views on this issue changed since you hosted your television show?

In the past, you have said you did not want to “interfere” with doctors prescribing puberty blockers for minor children. Is that still your position?

In 2019, you opposed state limitations on abortion related to fetal heartbeat by describing the baby’s heartbeat as “little electrical exchanges in the cell that no one would hear or think about as a heart.” Is that still your position?

When describing a state pro-life law in 2019, you predicted that the state would face a “big sucking sound of businesses leaving.” Can you clarify your comments? As head of CMS, will you allow decisions to be influenced by corporate preferences?

If every Democrat votes against him, Oz can only lose three Republican senators to be confirmed.

I’ve been reading up on Dr. Oz - I see he’s praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments & puberty blockers for kids in the past. And has also criticized state laws protecting life. I hope he’s changed his views to match President Trump! We need the Trump… https://t.co/lHg9TbIzgS
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 19, 2025