Who Is Dr. Erica Schwartz, Trump’s Pick For CDC Director?

Dr. Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), advanced through a key Senate committee vote on Thursday. 

The Washington Post reports that the Senate health committee voted 13-10 to advance Schwartz’s nomination to the Senate floor. Schwartz is the Trump administration’s third nominee to lead the CDC. Former congressman Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) was the first nominee before the administration retracted the nomination. Susan Monarez was the second nominee and was actually confirmed. She didn’t last long in the role, though, as she was fired after clashing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his obsession with vaccines. 

According to AP, Schwartz’s nomination seemed to be on shaky ground after some intense questioning by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Cassidy was one of Kennedy’s staunchest Republican critics during his confirmation hearing, given Kennedy’s general aversion to scientific fact in favor of whatever he sees on Facebook.

Cassidy asked Schwartz if she would stand up to Kennedy if he asked her to do something that goes against proven medical science. Schwartz said she would “never betray the science” but declined to criticize RFK Jr.’s regular betrayal of the science. 

Schwartz, a Black woman, is probably the least insane Trump appointee, but that honestly isn’t a high bar to clear. Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term from 2019 to 2021. Before that, she spent most of her career in the armed forces, working her way up the ranks of the U.S. Coast Guard. She eventually was promoted to rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. 

So, unlike most members of the Trump administration, she actually has some proven expertise in her field. 

Despite her nomination advancing, Schwartz’s responses did little to assuage the concerns of several senators and medical professionals. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was among those who were critical of Schwartz’s performance. 

“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said last week. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are anti-science and into conspiracy theories?”

The National Public Health Coalition, an organization of former and current CDC workers, released a statement calling out Schwartz for being evasive on how she would handle Kennedy’s frequent disregard of medical science. 

“The public needed to hear clear commitments about how she would protect CDC guidance from political pressure,” the group said in a statement. “Too often, her stated commitments were incomplete, vague, or missing.”

The coalition called on the Senate to make Schwartz sign a written commitment to “scientific independence” and “evidence-based vaccine policy.” I would honestly have to agree with that approach, considering what we’ve seen of Kennedy’s tenure as HHS secretary. 

Kennedy said all the right things during his confirmation hearings, including promising not to change the vaccine schedule. Yet upon being confirmed to his position, one of the first things he did was fire everyone who disagreed with his conspiracy theories about vaccines and change the vaccine schedule. 

You know, normally I’d be happy to see a Black woman winning, but considering this is her second at bat with the Trump administration, the most I can muster is a “you do you, girl.” 

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Who Is Dr. Erica Schwartz, Trump’s Pick For CDC Director? was originally published on newsone.com