Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new
leadership to troubled agency
[August 06, 2026]
By MIKE STOBBE
NEW YORK (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as
director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her
in charge of a public health agency beleaguered by political meddling
and low morale.
Schwartz was confirmed in a 51-44 vote. The 54-year-old becomes the 22nd
leader of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting
Americans from preventable health threats, and the agency's first
confirmed director in nearly a year. Her resume includes medical and law
degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at
the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schwartz's nomination appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing
before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last
month. The chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and others questioned
whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Donald
Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do
something unsupported by science and good public health practice.
But weeks later, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that
hearing and with others who knew her, and said he had gained confidence
in her.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials did not
immediately respond to questions about when Schwartz will start the job
or her salary.
The CDC has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office last year.
Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus
employees, more than one-quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted
as a succession of mostly temporary leaders has come and gone. The front
office has been staffed by political appointees with little or no
training in medicine or public health.
“Now, Dr. Schwartz needs to prove that her leadership will serve science
and not the whims of politicians. CDC needs a Director who will protect
public health workers, defend evidence-based guidance, and refuse any
directive that would undermine public safety,” said the National Public
Health Coalition, an organization of former and current CDC workers, in
a statement Wednesday.
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 When Schwartz was nominated in
April, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citing her
background. They also noted that Schwartz was the choice of Trump
and not Kennedy, who is a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement
before he was tapped to oversee the CDC and other federal health
agencies.
Schwartz was the third Trump nominee for CDC director in the past 18
months.
The first was a former Florida congressman, Dr. David Weldon. His
Senate hearing in March 2025 was canceled an hour before it was to
begin. Weldon said at the time that he had been told not enough
senators were willing to vote for him.
The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving
as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate,
but ousted from the job in less than a month. Trump administration
officials said she was not aligned with the president’s agenda, so
they terminated her.
Since then, there have been a series of HHS officials as acting CDC
directors.
“With all the turmoil of the past two years, the CDC desperately
needs stability, experienced leadership and a steadfast commitment
to science,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health
Association, in a statement Wednesday.
The CDC position was one of several leadership vacancies among
federal health agencies, including the U.S. surgeon general and the
commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
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