Dr. Erica Schwartz speaks during a Senate committee hearing July 15 on her nomination at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Schwartz was confirmed Wednesday as the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as the leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally installing a new director for the agency after nearly a year.
Schwartz was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump's first term. She is a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and Navy physician.
The vote Wednesday was 51-44, mostly along party lines, NBC News reported. Sen.Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans to approve Schwartz.
Schwartz succeeds Dr. Susan Monarez, who was fired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in August after less than a month in the job, allegedly because she disagreed with Kennedy about vaccines.
