Trump Nominates Coast Guard Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz as CDC Director

S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwartz, a Coast Guard rear admiral, served as Trump's deputy surgeon general in his first administration from 2019 to 2021. The CDC has been without a Senate-confirmed director for months, with the agency lacking a permanent director since August.

President Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'It is my honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr. Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC. ' In another post on April 16, Trump stated: 'Erica graduated from Brown University for College and Medical School, and served a distinguished career as a Doctor of Medicine in the United States Military, the Greatest and Most Powerful Force in the World, and then served as my Deputy Surgeon General during my First Term.

' in a post on Truth Social.

Schwartz's Background and Qualifications

Coast Guard over more than two decades. S. S. Navy and Coast Guard, including as the Coast Guard’s preventive medicine chief. She is a board certified doctor of preventive medicine and was involved in the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, where she volunteered to serve as the ordering physician for drive-through COVID tests nationwide, responsible for millions of test orders, according to Brett Giroir, who served as assistant secretary of health during Trump’s first term.

Schwartz has a medical degree from Brown University, earned in 1998, a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Brown University, a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, completed in 2000, and a law degree from the University of Maryland. She has been admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia. S.

Surgeon general, departing in January 2021.

CDC Leadership Context

The CDC has not had a permanent director since August, and has been without a permanent director for all but 29 days since January 2025.

Susan Monarez was ousted in September after clashing with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his vaccine policies, serving as the CDC leader for just shy of a month. Monarez wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that she was fired because she refused to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations from a new advisory panel Kennedy had replaced with several vaccine sceptics.

Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, has been overseeing the CDC on an interim basis since Monarez left, serving as acting CDC director in a dual role at the Atlanta-based agency, but that designation expired last month under federal law.

The Vacancies Act restricts acting officials from serving longer than 210 days in roles that require Senate confirmation. Trump's first choice to lead the CDC was Dave Weldon, a former Florida congressman who has criticised vaccines, but Weldon's nomination was withdrawn in March 2025 after it became clear he did not have the votes to be confirmed, with Republican senators signaling he lacked the votes for confirmation.

A judge blocked many of Kennedy's vaccine changes from going into effect in March. Erica Schwartz must receive confirmation from the Senate before taking the role.

Additional Health Appointments

President Trump announced Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director and chief operating officer.

Trump announced Dr. Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, as deputy director and chief medical officer. Trump announced Dr. Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, as senior counselor for public health to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Kennedy Jr. Chris Klomp, chief counselor of the Department of Health and Human Services, presented the four names to the White House as a potential leadership team. Klomp was tapped in February to help stabilize operations across health agencies.

Middle East Ceasefire Announcement

President Trump stated on social media that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting at 5 p.

M. Eastern Time on April 16. m. ET Thursday, according to President Trump.

Other Developments

A federal judge issued a new order halting construction of President Trump's new White House ballroom, NBC News reported.

11 nationwide, according to MarketWatch. S.