A CDC Confirmation: What Dr. Erica Schwartz Told Senators

Dr. Erica Schwartz, a physician who served as deputy surgeon general in President Trump’s earlier administration and a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, was nominated on April 16, 2026 to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her professional record includes leadership roles in vaccination programs and emergency health responses, and she has been presented as a choice meant to stabilize the agency after a turbulent period.

During a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on July 15, 2026, Schwartz pledged that she “will never betray the science,” and she said she would use radical transparency to rebuild public confidence. She added that she did not believe Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or President Donald Trump would ask her to do anything that would harm public health. While some senators expressed incredulity and pressed her with direct questions, she maintained that scientific evidence would guide her decisions.

The nomination comes amid disputes over vaccine policy and recent leadership changes at the Department of Health and Human Services, which have unsettled the CDC workforce and public trust. Observers have noted that her background in program management and outbreak response could help mend relationships with state health officials and restore routine agency functions. Nevertheless, major challenges remain: rebuilding internal morale, reestablishing clear guidance, and repairing public confidence will require time and sustained evidence-based decisions.

If the Senate confirms her, she will formally assume the director’s responsibilities and lead the agency’s public health work nationwide. Until then, the CDC continues to operate under acting leadership while lawmakers evaluate her nomination.