Senate Republicans advanced Erica Schwartz’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, paving the way for the administration’s pick to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Schwartz, a former chief medical officer of the Coast Guard, served as a deputy U.S. surgeon general during the first Trump administration. Her public health bona fides put her on slightly better footing with the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, though the committee’s chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), still pressed Schwartz on whether she would stand up to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
During her confirmation hearing, Schwartz told Cassidy that she would “never betray the science.”
Cassidy, who lost his bid for a third term earlier this year, ultimately said he would support Schwartz after the CDC updated a webpage about vaccines and autism to remove a reference to him.
Trending
The web page previously said that it contained the phrase “vaccines do not cause autism” only to appease Cassidy. Last week, that statement was removed, and replaced with: “Scientists have not identified the root causes of autism. HHS continues to support rigorous scientific research and will update this page as reliable new evidence becomes available.”
Cassidy, who has been a critic of Kennedy’s vaccine policies, also supported the nomination of Sean Kaufman to serve as the assistant secretary for preparedness and response. The committee also voted to advance Kaufman’s nomination to the full Senate.
Kaufman’s past comments questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccines drew the senator’s ire during his appearance before HELP.
Cassidy said at the outset of Thursday’s vote that he had received assurances from HHS that Kaufman would not be involved in vaccine policy or be the ultimate decision-maker on issues like mRNA vaccines.
“We can’t have perfection,” Cassidy said. He added that the administration is “committed to continuing to work to remove misinformation” from the CDC web page on vaccines and autism, which remains online. He also said that “several actions have been taken” to address decisions relating to vaccines and autism at HHS, including “key personnel changes and better oversight.”
The CDC has been without a permanent director since last August, when Susan Monarez was ousted for disagreeing with Kennedy on vaccine policy decisions. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has served as acting leader of the CDC since then.
Author
