By
Nia Prater,
Intelligencer staff writer, who covers New York politics
All eyes were on Bill Cassidy once again this week in anticipation of how the Louisiana senator and physician would vote on the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s latest nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though Cassidy has sought to play up his disagreements with the Trump administration over its changes to public health policy and its controversial nominees, he indicated on Thursday that he intends to support the president’s pick, curiously citing a small change to the agency’s website.
Cassidy made his support of Dr. Erica Schwartz public during a Thursday meeting of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, of which he’s the chairman. In his remarks, Cassidy noted the critical challenges facing the CDC, noting the historic rise of measles cases and the prevalence of health misinformation amid a loss of faith in public-health officials. While the senator appeared far from convinced about Schwartz’s responses to his questioning during her confirmation hearing last week, Cassidy expressed confidence in her ability to do the job. The panel’s scheduled vote for Schwartz that day was postponed to next week due to several absences.
