WASHINGTON – The Senate Health Committee has postponed its vote on Erica Schwartz to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until next week, after deferring another vote on Sean Kaufman, a key public health response official.
The committee vote on Mr. Schwartz was postponed because too few senators were present. At least one other senator was also absent, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) dealing with a family emergency.
Earlier, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chairman of the health committee, said Republicans had enough votes to remove Schwartz from the committee, where they have a one-vote advantage.
Cassidy told reporters he delayed voting for assistant secretary for preparedness and response because he hadn’t tallied Kaufman’s approval ratings. A spokesperson for the Senate Health Committee said the committee and the administration are considering Kaufman’s “progress.” When asked what that would look like, Cassidy said, “To be determined.”
Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration. During her confirmation hearing, she spoke about expanding drive-through coronavirus testing during the pandemic and her experience working in health care roles in the U.S. military.
