President Trump on Thursday nominated Erica Schwartz to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appointing a former public health leader to a position that had been filled mostly part-time or on an interim basis during the second Trump administration.
Schwartz served as the deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration and spent much of his career in the U.S. military health profession.
She is board certified in preventive medicine. She earned her medical degree from Brown University in 1998 and her master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in 2000. She also earned a law degree and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar.
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Schwartz spent most of his career in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, holding various positions including chief of preventive medicine for the Coast Guard. She was also involved in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Schwartz, a retired major general in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, “will definitely understand the culture of the CDC and the culture of the staff who is (and) a Commissioned Corps employee,” David Mansdorfer, a former senior Health Department official in the first Trump administration, told STAT. Mansdorfer, who worked with Schwartz during her time at HHS, praised her accomplishments, adding that she worked with “a ton of senior officials in the White House.”
“She’s a great pick,” he said.
President Trump also announced the appointment of Sean Slovenski, former president of Walmart Health & Wellness, as CDC deputy director and chief operating officer, and Texas Health Commissioner Jennifer Shuford as deputy director and chief medical officer. Sarah Brenner, principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, will become senior public health advisor to Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
It remains to be seen whether Schwartz will garner enough support in the Senate to be confirmed, but her background as a federally trained physician will likely make her popular among lawmakers. She also doesn’t have a clear public record of opposing vaccinations, which could help smooth the verification process. President Kennedy’s opposition to vaccines and his efforts to limit the number of vaccines recommended for all children have been a source of serious conflict between the Secretary of Health and many senators.
The nomination comes at a sensitive time for candidates for leadership positions at the Department of Health and Human Services, a fact acknowledged by both Senate Republicans and administration officials. Some Senate Republicans appear unlikely to confirm Casey Means as Surgeon General after his embarrassment over vaccine recommendations. Some lawmakers also questioned the fact that Means is not a medical practitioner.
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Mr. Schwartz’s nomination also comes as relations between the tenuous Washington allies become increasingly strained. The power of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement behind Kennedy has wavered this year. The White House is urging HHS to move away from politically divisive issues like vaccines ahead of the midterm elections, as some MAHA supporters urge officials to reconsider. Instead, the administration wants to focus on issues that are more popular among voters, such as food safety and drug prices.
This has frustrated some MAHA supporters who want Kennedy to continue to focus on vaccine safety. On Thursday, some members of the speaking group spoke out against the candidate. Aaron Siri, a vaccine injury lawyer and former Kennedy personal attorney, wrote of X that the choice was a “disaster.” Siri wrote critically of Schwartz’s involvement in the White House’s coronavirus response, saying, “This agency doesn’t need another cheerleader for industry. It needs regulators for industry.”
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are considering the extent to which they intend to confront some of President Trump’s policies.
If her nomination passes the Senate, Schwartz would be the agency’s second full-time director this term, following Susan Monales, who was fired last August over vaccine-related demands from President Kennedy. Monales served as CDC director for just four weeks, a period that included a shocking shooting at the CDC’s main campus.
Jay Bhattacharyya, director of the National Institutes of Health, has been the de facto acting director of the CDC since mid-February, when former acting director Jim O’Neill was fired as deputy HHS secretary. However, due to the Federal Vacancy Reform Act, which limits the term of office for acting directors, Mr. Bhattacharya cannot use the title of acting director.
The administration’s first nominee, former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon, withdrew his candidacy when it became clear he did not have the votes to confirm him the day the Senate confirmation process began.
The Senate Health Committee will play a key role in determining whether Schwartz’s nomination is successful. The committee is chaired by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana). He is a physician and avid supporter of vaccinations, and his negative vote against Kennedy was crucial to his confirmation.
