New CDC director is confirmed, with Senate backing Dr. Erica Schwartz

Dr. Erica Schwartz, who was deputy surgeon general in Trump’s first term, inherits a measles crisis and a growing cyclosporiasis outbreak.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making her the health agency’s first permanent director in roughly a year.

The 51-44 vote was largely split along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats against, though Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans. Kaine said last month that he regretted voting against the previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, and had apologized to her.

Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term; before that, she was a Navy physician and chief medical officer in the Coast Guard.

A series of acting directors have led the CDC since August 2025, when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Monarez after 29 days in the role. Schwartz takes over from Jay Bhattacharya, who has helmed the agency since February while also directing the National Institutes of Health. Federal law required the Trump administration to nominate a permanent director in March, but Schwartz’s nomination came a month after the deadline.

As CDC director, Schwartz will oversee the country’s public health response, including approving vaccine recommendations and helping contain disease outbreaks. She will inherit a measles crisis — the U.S. has recorded its highest number of cases in 35 years — and a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce. Schwartz will also have to contend with rising rates of vaccine hesitancy, which some experts say Kennedy’s rhetoric and policies have exacerbated.