Trump’s CDC nominee advances to final Senate vote

WASHINGTON —

Dr. Erica Schwartz’s bid for CDC director will move to the Senate floor for a full and final vote after a Senate committee voted 13-10 along party lines Thursday to advance her nomination.

The job has sat vacant with no permanent director for nearly a year.

Schwartz, who holds medical and law degrees, has served as deputy surgeon general and rear admiral with the U.S. Coast Guard. Publicly, she has pledged to “never betray the science.”

But not all lawmakers are convinced.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., questioned whether Schwartz would “have the guts” to stand up to what he called anti-science and conspiracy theories backed by the Trump administration.

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also expressed concerns but said, after a private meeting with Schwartz, he is convinced she will reinforce the need for parents to vaccinate their children.

If confirmed, Schwartz will lead the CDC as it faces several health crises, including Cyclospora outbreaks that officials have confirmed in nine states and cases reported in nearly all 50.

Internationally, Eastern Congo is battling the deadly spread of Ebola, which has resulted in more than 1,500 deaths, according to health officials, as the U.S. works alongside international health agencies to contain the outbreak.

Schwartz’s nomination comes as public trust in the U.S. government’s ability to handle health emergencies is in question.

A new KFF poll found that 40% of Americans believe the country is less prepared for a major pandemic now compared to 2020, when COVID-19 emerged.

Separately, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney general, Todd Blanche, faces delays after a Senate committee vote on his nomination was canceled.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, have objected to Blanche’s nomination.

Both are demanding written guarantees that a proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund will not be created. The fund would compensate the president’s allies who claim the government wrongly targeted them.

Blanche has publicly stated the fund will not be established, but the senators want it in writing.

Tillis and Cornyn are also seeking assurances that a tax audit immunity agreement will only cover the president’s past filings, not his future tax returns.

In a social media post Thursday, Trump called Blanche a “star” and said he has “no objection to temporarily withdrawing his name” while leaving him as acting attorney general until Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, tasked with overseeing Blanche’s nomination, can only afford to lose one Republican vote to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate. But, with the Senate set to leave at the end of next week for summer recess, time may be running out.

Watch more on the Senate’s votes for Trump’s nominees: