Trump's CDC pick could have easier path than other nominees
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The latest Senate debate over a Trump health appointment kicks off Wednesday with a less polarizing nominee than some of the president's previous picks — but that doesn't mean controversies around vaccines and public health are over.
Why it matters: Former deputy surgeon general Erica Schwartz will have to convince lawmakers she has a vision to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but can still work with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who clashed with the last full-time CDC director over vaccine policy changes.
- If confirmed, Schwartz will inherit an agency battered by DOGE cuts, an attack targeting the CDC's Atlanta headquarters and political upheaval that led to the departure of top staff scientists.
- The agency has seen hundreds of millions in public health grants to states slashed and would face hundreds of millions more in cuts under the administration's fiscal 2027 budget.
State of play: Schwartz will be appearing before the Senate health committee and Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policy and recently lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
- Cassidy said on CBS' "Face the Nation" last month that he was "favorably impressed" with Schwartz after meeting her.
- He also said he thinks the administration is coming around on vaccine policy. "The administration clearly has gotten off the anti-vaccine message into something more positive," he said.
Yes, but: There are questions about whether Cassidy will challenge a second nominee facing the panel on Wednesday: Sean Kaufman, who's in line for assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
- Stat reported that he has made comments questioning vaccines in some cases, which could raise red flags for Cassidy, a staunch vaccine defender.
What they're saying: Richard Besser, former acting CDC director under President Obama, called Schwartz an "experienced, principled public health leader."
- But he said he hopes senators in the hearing ask her "how she would respond to efforts by the secretary and others in the administration to undercut public health measures, and whether there would be lines in the sand that she would refuse to cross?"
- Former CDC director Susan Monarez said she was fired last year for refusing to go along with Kennedy's overhaul of vaccine policy, an account that Kennedy disputes.
The big picture: The Trump administration has been trying to tone down vaccine controversies this year as the midterm elections approach, focusing instead on its efforts to lower drug prices and root out fraud in federal health programs.
- Kennedy told a House committee in April that he supports Schwartz's nomination.
- But he demurred when asked if he'd implement whatever vaccine guidance she issues without interference, accusing the Democratic congressman who asked of looking for a "soundbite."
What's ahead: Schwartz is likely to win confirmation, possibly with the help of some Senate Democrats. But experts say she'll be challenged stabilizing an agency that's lacked a full-time political leader for almost a year and remains beset by morale and staffing problems.
- The CDC has lost a lot of "expertise and experience," said Besser, now CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
- "I would hope that in taking this job, she has been given guarantees in terms of what she'll be able to do in that role to rebuild an agency that is really suffering and struggling," he said.
