The US Senate today voted to confirm Erica Schwarz, MD, MPH, JD, as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The vote was 51 to 44 in favor of confirming Schwartz, who spent 24 years in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and served as deputy Surgeon General in the first Trump administration. The vote was along party lines, with only one Senate Democrat, Tim Kaine (D-VA), voting in her favor.

The CDC has not had a confirmed director for nearly a year. Susan Monarez, PhD, was ousted from the position on August 27, 2025, after she refused to fire CDC experts and pre-approve changes to vaccine policy recommended by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At the time of her firing, Monarez had been on the job for less than a month.

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, has been serving as acting CDC director since February. Prior to Bhattacharya, Jim O’Neill was in the role.

A vote of confidence from Cassidy

Schwartz’s confirmation comes after a rocky confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee, in which several senators on the committee appeared dismayed by some of her responses to their questions. Democratic committee members, in particular, criticized her reluctance to say that she would defy orders to limit access to or undermine vaccines.

Schwartz said she didn’t believe administration officials would ask her to make decisions that would harm Americans. She was also unaware of several policy changes that had occurred over the past year, including changes to the CDC’s autism and vaccine web page that were directed by Kennedy. 

But support from committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a key vote, assured that Schwartz’s nomination would move forward to the full Senate chamber. 

“I’m confident that she knows what she’s doing ​and will stand against those who do not,” Cassidy said on July 23.

Schwartz will lead an agency that’s currently dealing with a 15-state cyclosporiasis outbreak, widespread measles transmission, and an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She also assumes the role amid layoffs and resignations, which have reduced CDC staff by nearly a quarter. CDC employees are also still reeling from a shooting at agency headquarters in Atlanta last year.

American Public Health Association CEO Georges Benjamin, MD, said in a statement that the CDC “desperately needs stability, experienced leadership and a steadfast commitment to science” with the turmoil of the past two years.

“As Dr. Schwartz takes on this challenge, we look forward to working with her to rebuild trust in public health leaders and advance proven practices and policies to enhance and improve the public’s health by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries so that everyone can live their healthiest lives,” Benjamin said.

Schwartz said during her confirmation hearing that she would never “betray the science” and will “continue to live and lead by my integrity.”

“If I’m confirmed as the CDC director, the nation’s health and well-being will take primacy and I will never compromise on that,” Schwartz said.