July 30, 2026 / 3:06 PM EDT
/ AP
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A Senate committee on Thursday advanced Dr. Erica Schwartz's nomination to be director of the nation's top public health agency, setting aside concerns that she will not stand up to political meddling.If confirmed by the full Senate, the 54-year-old would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard. Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this month. The chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to President Trump's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something that was unsupported by science and good public health practice.But when the committee met last week, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and to others who knew her. "I'm confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not," said Cassidy, whose support was necessary for the nomination to go forward.The committee's near party-line vote Thursday moved Schwartz's nomination ahead.
