A New CDC Nominee Moves Forward: What Learners Should Know

Erica Schwartz is the nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Senate health committee advanced her nomination to the full Senate on July 30, 2026, and the full Senate will vote soon. Lawmakers asked whether she will resist political pressure from the health secretary.

She was nominated on April 16, 2026. She served as deputy surgeon general and in medical roles in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. She supports childhood vaccines and has said she will follow scientific evidence. Public health groups want clearer written promises about scientific independence. The nomination is moving quickly.