Dr. Erica Schwartz is scheduled to appear before a Senate committee on Wednesday for her confirmation hearing to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Schwartz, previously the deputy surgeon general, was nominated for the position by President Donald Trump in April.
If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz would be the fourth individual to lead the CDC since last summer. She would succeed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who has been serving as the acting CDC director since February. Bhattacharya is also the director of the National Institutes of Health.
Schwartz’s professional background includes a medical degree from Brown University and service in the U.S. Navy until 2005. She also held positions within the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, including Chief Medical Officer for the Coast Guard and Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to early 2021, during the Trump administration.
Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the CDC during the Obama administration, expressed support for Schwartz's nomination. "What struck me is how refreshing it felt to see someone nominated for this job who actually has deep experience in public health and has the credentials necessary to lead a complex public health organization," Besser told ABC News.
However, Besser also raised concerns about the potential for Schwartz to maintain independence from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in making public health recommendations. This concern is informed by the experience of former CDC Director Susan Monarez, who was confirmed in July 2025 but removed from her post less than a month later. Reports indicate Monarez's dismissal stemmed from her reluctance to fully endorse the health secretary's vaccine agenda or remove high-ranking CDC officials opposed by Kennedy.
Both Kennedy and Monarez testified before Senate committees regarding Monarez's ousting. Kennedy denied instructing Monarez to adopt vaccine recommendations without scientific backing, stating at one hearing that she claimed he was untrustworthy.
Besser anticipates that senators on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will question Schwartz on her views regarding vaccinations, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the increase in measles cases within the U.S. "Those are some of the critical areas I think she'll be asked about. There are so many other areas that are of concern to those who have relied on the CDC to prevent illness and promote health," Besser said.
Sean Kaufman is also slated to appear before the Senate HELP Committee for his confirmation hearing on the same day. Kaufman has been nominated to head the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which was integrated into the CDC as part of a 2025 HHS reorganization. Kaufman has asserted, without providing evidence, that COVID-19 vaccines have led to "excessive death and injury ... in the United States and globally." Health officials maintain that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, citing clinical trials involving tens of thousands of participants and their role in saving millions of lives.
Besser voiced concern over Kaufman's nomination, noting his "very strong anti-vaccine views" and the ASPR's responsibility for the strategic national stockpile. "So, I hope that the committee asks him questions to fully understand the approach that he would take in that role," Besser stated.