Senate HELP Committee advances CDC director nominee to full Senate vote

Erica Schwartz's nomination as CDC director cleared the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday, despite a sharp divide over whether she would defend the agency's science from political interference. The committee voted to send her nomination to the full Senate, conducting the vote off the floor because several members were absent due to family emergencies or other commitments.

Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, has sought to reassure senators about scientific integrity. "I will never betray the science," she has said.

Chairman Bill Cassidy backed her as a defender of vaccine science. "The nation faces enormous public health challenges," he said. "Measles cases are at a 35-year high with half a year left for them to rise even more." Cassidy said he was confident she knows what she is doing and would stand against those who do not understand vaccine science. He also pointed to HHS's modification of the CDC's autism-and-vaccines webpage as a sign of good faith.

Ranking Member Bernie Sanders praised her credentials but voted against her, saying he doubted she would resist pressure from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "I'm afraid that right now within HHS, we have a secretary who will not tolerate dissent," Sanders said. "You are more optimistic than I am."

The nomination now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.