Dr. Erica Schwartz won confirmation in a 51-44 vote, taking charge of a federal health agency that has lost more than one-quarter of its workforce and cycled through a series of temporary leaders.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, installing the agency’s first Senate-approved leader in nearly a year amid staffing losses, declining morale and continued upheaval within the federal public health system.
Schwartz was confirmed by a vote of 51-44. The 54-year-old physician and attorney becomes the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is responsible for protecting Americans from preventable diseases and other public health threats.
Her professional background includes both medical and law degrees, service as deputy surgeon general and a leadership role with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schwartz’s path to confirmation appeared uncertain after her appearance last month before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., and other senators questioned whether Schwartz would be willing to challenge Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if he directed the CDC to take action that lacked support from scientific evidence or accepted public health practice.
Cassidy later said he spoke further with Schwartz and consulted people familiar with her professional record. Those discussions, he said, increased his confidence in her ability to lead the agency.
The CDC has faced sustained disruption since President Donald Trump returned to office last year.
Layoffs and resignations have reduced the agency’s workforce by more than 3,000 employees, amounting to more than one-quarter of its staff. Morale has fallen as a succession of mostly temporary directors and senior officials moved through the agency.
Some personnel assigned to the CDC’s front office reportedly had little or no formal training in medicine or public health, adding to concerns about leadership and institutional stability.
When Trump nominated Schwartz in April, public health specialists responded with cautious optimism because of her experience in medicine, law and federal service.
They also noted that Schwartz was selected by Trump rather than Kennedy, who became a prominent critic of vaccines before being chosen to oversee the CDC and other federal health agencies.
Schwartz now assumes control of the agency as it attempts to rebuild staffing, restore internal confidence and navigate questions about scientific independence within the Trump administration.
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