CDC Director Nominee Erica Schwartz Testifies Before Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Dr. Erica Schwartz appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on July 15, 2026, for her confirmation hearing as President Trump's nominee to serve as CDC director. President Trump nominated her in April 2026.

Chairman Bill Cassidy stated during the hearing that he would not support her nomination if she equivocated on the efficacy of immunization. He said trust destroyed by such equivocation makes effectiveness difficult and asked whether she would stand up to statements that undermine faith in immunization or simply take orders. Dr. Schwartz said she would never betray the science.

She said she accepts much evidence that vaccines do not cause autism. Dr. Schwartz said one in 33 children have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and the public deserves an explanation for the rate.

The hearing addressed prior leadership turnover at the agency. President Trump withdrew the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon hours before his scheduled hearing in March 2025. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousted Senate-confirmed Susan Monarez after a few weeks when she resisted pressure to rescind certain COVID-19 vaccine approvals.

National Institutes of Health Director Jim O'Neill was removed as acting CDC director in February 2026.

Cassidy said Monarez was removed because she would not make decisions she believed were bad for public health. Dr. Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration and at the start of the Biden administration.

Dr. Schwartz said she backs Kennedy's actions at the CDC.