Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) expressed skepticism about Dr. Mehmet Oz’s stance on abortion and transgender rights, citing his views on surgery and treatment for minors.
“I’m reading Dr. Oz – I think he praises trans surgery for minors and supports hormonal treatment and adolescent blockers for past children.” Holy wrote on his Twitter account. “And I’m also criticizing state laws that protect life. I hope he changed his opinion to match President Trump!”
“We need President Trump’s agenda on the CMS,” Holy said.
Hawley had responded to his official account, answering a question that Oz would be asked during the confirmation process in the Senate.
If confirmed, Oz will oversee a $1.5 trillion agency despite having no experience in implementing a major bureaucracy.
As a medical expert on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in the 2000s and in his own show, The Dr. Oz Show, Oz was initially unknown for his political views.
Holy plans to ask Oz about hosting “various transgender advocates,” surgeons who performed transgender-related surgeries, minors who discussed “switching gender,” and more.
He also plans to ask Oz about the use of adolescent blockers in minors, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and other questions.
Oz hosted a groundbreaking show on transgender children, and his show has been accused of promoting false or misleading medical claims, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community.
Oz has a history of supporting often controversial products, blurring the line between celebrity pitching and being an educated healthcare professional.
He is the latest of Trump’s appointees who had previously appeared on television and served as a controversial leader of federal agencies.
