Senate confirms Erica Schwartz as new CDC leader
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon have a new official director for the first time in nearly a year, after the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz.
Schwartz was confirmed on a mostly party-line 51-44 vote. Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) was the lone Democrat to vote in her favor.
Schwartz is the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in nearly a year. The agency has been under acting leadership since Susan Monarez was fired last August after what she described as a clash with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his attempts to roll back childhood vaccines.
Schwartz is set to take over an agency that’s been in turmoil since President Trump took office. Morale has plummeted, and the agency has lost more than a quarter of its workforce through layoffs and resignations.
At the same time, the agency is facing some of its biggest challenges. There’s an ongoing measles outbreak as cases flare among unvaccinated people, fueled largely by misinformation. The country is also facing the largest-ever outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which continues to grow.
Schwartz, the deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration and a former top Coast Guard health official, has publicly supported childhood vaccines and was viewed as a highly qualified, mainstream choice who could bring stability back to the CDC.
But Democrats during her confirmation hearing last month expressed serious doubts about her willingness and ability to push back against Kennedy’s policies and stand up for science.
Even Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, seemed to have concerns about Schwartz, who largely sidestepped questions on the issue.
“We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Cassidy said during the hearing.
While Schwartz said she would lead with integrity and “never compromise on the science,” Cassidy said her responses were “not quite the direct answer” he’d been hoping for.
Cassidy later decided to support her nomination after a page on the CDC’s website about vaccines and autism was modified to address his objections.
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” Cassidy said.
Among those who opposed her nomination was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said at the July hearing. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are antiscience and into conspiracy theories?”
Schwartz is the Trump administration’s third pick to fill the CDC director role. The administration’s first nominee, former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), withdrew because he lacked the votes needed for confirmation amid questions on his preparedness and views on vaccination.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon have a new official director for the first time in nearly a year, after the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr.…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Skip to content
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon have a new official director for the first time in nearly a year, after the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz.
Schwartz was confirmed on a mostly party-line 51-44 vote. Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) was the lone Democrat to vote in her favor.
Schwartz is the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in nearly a year. The agency has been under acting leadership since Susan Monarez was fired last August after what she described as a clash with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his attempts to roll back childhood vaccines.
Schwartz is set to take over an agency that’s been in turmoil since President Trump took office. Morale has plummeted, and the agency has lost more than a quarter of its workforce through layoffs and resignations.
At the same time, the agency is facing some of its biggest challenges. There’s an ongoing measles outbreak as cases flare among unvaccinated people, fueled largely by misinformation. The country is also facing the largest-ever outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which continues to grow.
Schwartz, the deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration and a former top Coast Guard health official, has publicly supported childhood vaccines and was viewed as a highly qualified, mainstream choice who could bring stability back to the CDC.
But Democrats during her confirmation hearing last month expressed serious doubts about her willingness and ability to push back against Kennedy’s policies and stand up for science.
Even Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, seemed to have concerns about Schwartz, who largely sidestepped questions on the issue.
“We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Cassidy said during the hearing.
While Schwartz said she would lead with integrity and “never compromise on the science,” Cassidy said her responses were “not quite the direct answer” he’d been hoping for.
Cassidy later decided to support her nomination after a page on the CDC’s website about vaccines and autism was modified to address his objections.
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” Cassidy said.
Among those who opposed her nomination was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said at the July hearing. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are antiscience and into conspiracy theories?”
Schwartz is the Trump administration’s third pick to fill the CDC director role. The administration’s first nominee, former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), withdrew because he lacked the votes needed for confirmation amid questions on his preparedness and views on vaccination.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon have a new official director for the first time in nearly a year, after the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz.
Schwartz was confirmed on a mostly party-line 51-44 vote. Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) was the lone Democrat to vote in her favor.
Schwartz is the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in nearly a year. The agency has been under acting leadership since Susan Monarez was fired last August after what she described as a clash with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his attempts to roll back childhood vaccines.
Schwartz is set to take over an agency that’s been in turmoil since President Trump took office. Morale has plummeted, and the agency has lost more than a quarter of its workforce through layoffs and resignations.
At the same time, the agency is facing some of its biggest challenges. There’s an ongoing measles outbreak as cases flare among unvaccinated people, fueled largely by misinformation. The country is also facing the largest-ever outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which continues to grow.
Schwartz, the deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration and a former top Coast Guard health official, has publicly supported childhood vaccines and was viewed as a highly qualified, mainstream choice who could bring stability back to the CDC.
But Democrats during her confirmation hearing last month expressed serious doubts about her willingness and ability to push back against Kennedy’s policies and stand up for science.
Even Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, seemed to have concerns about Schwartz, who largely sidestepped questions on the issue.
“We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Cassidy said during the hearing.
While Schwartz said she would lead with integrity and “never compromise on the science,” Cassidy said her responses were “not quite the direct answer” he’d been hoping for.
Cassidy later decided to support her nomination after a page on the CDC’s website about vaccines and autism was modified to address his objections.
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” Cassidy said.
Among those who opposed her nomination was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said at the July hearing. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are antiscience and into conspiracy theories?”
Schwartz is the Trump administration’s third pick to fill the CDC director role. The administration’s first nominee, former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), withdrew because he lacked the votes needed for confirmation amid questions on his preparedness and views on vaccination.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Axios ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon have a new official director for the first time in nearly a year, after the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr.…