WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Erica Schwartz was confirmed as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), marking her as the second permanent leader under the second Trump administration.
The Senate approved her appointment with a 51-44 vote, finally filling the position that had been vacant for nearly a year after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed her predecessor.
Schwartz will take on her role as the CDC tackles various disease outbreaks, including measles and a foodborne parasite within the U.S., and Ebola in regions of Africa. A retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during the first Trump administration, where she played a crucial role in establishing Covid-19 public testing sites.
Observers in the public health sector are keen to see how Schwartz will manage Kennedy’s assertive vaccine policy agenda.
Schwartz’s predecessor, Susan Monarez, was dismissed just a month into her tenure last August, following claims that Kennedy pressured her to approve vaccine policy changes prematurely. Without a CDC director, the Department of Health and Human Services has independently reduced the number of recommended pediatric vaccines, such as delaying the hepatitis B birth dose. Kennedy has also altered a CDC webpage to counter the agency’s previous stance that vaccines do not cause autism, although Senate health committee leader Bill Cassidy (R-La.) stated that HHS has agreed to revise the page once more.
During a Senate health committee confirmation hearing, Cassidy persistently questioned Schwartz about resisting political pressure from Kennedy or Trump, expressing dissatisfaction with her lack of response.
Later, Cassidy voted to advance Schwartz’s confirmation, stating he had spoken with her and was “confident that she knows what she is doing.” He cautioned, however, that any future policy reversals might impact the prospects of future health nominees.
Kennedy has previously reneged on promises made to Cassidy, who is set to leave Capitol Hill in January after losing his reelection, following criticism from Trump and Kennedy.
