Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director

Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz again after her hearing, reviewed the hearing transcript and consulted people who had worked with her. "After speaking with Dr. Schwartz again after the hearing, reviewing the transcript and speaking to those who served with her and know her well, I'm confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not," Cassidy said.

Cassidy signals support after follow-up review

The vote caps a turbulent period for the CDC, which had been without a Senate-confirmed director for months. The previous nominee, Susan Monarez, had been expected to face a confirmation vote but ultimately did not return to the Senate floor. Her departure left the agency's top post in limbo and drew criticism from public health advocates who warned that prolonged vacancies could hamper the agency's response to outbreaks and routine immunization work.

Schwartz's nomination drew attention because of her professional background and her stated approach to vaccine policy. During her hearing, she was pressed by senators on whether she would defer to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary, on matters including the federal immunization schedule. Schwartz told lawmakers she would make independent decisions based on scientific evidence, according to people familiar with her testimony.

Previous nomination stalled in the Senate

Cassidy's decision to back Schwartz after a pause reflected the political weight carried by his committee chairmanship. Several Republican senators had publicly questioned whether Schwartz would resist pressure from Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccine policy. In his July statement, Cassidy said the additional conversations had addressed those concerns.

"Cassidy dijo que habló con Schwartz tras esa audiencia y con otras personas que la conocían, y señaló que había ganado confianza en ella," according to a Spanish-language account of his remarks.

The confirmation also places Schwartz at the center of an ongoing reorganization of federal health agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy's department, has moved to consolidate several functions previously housed separately, and the CDC's role in areas such as vaccine recommendation and outbreak response has been the subject of public debate. Schwartz is expected to oversee implementation of those changes while maintaining the agency's core surveillance and laboratory functions.

Pressure over vaccine policy

Public health groups reacted cautiously. Some organizations welcomed the end of the leadership vacuum and said they would press Schwartz to preserve the agency's scientific independence. Others said they would watch closely how she handles recommendations from outside advisory panels and whether she shields career staff from political pressure.

The confirmation does not resolve underlying disagreements over the direction of federal health policy. Kennedy has pushed for changes to vaccine policy and to the structure of advisory committees that traditionally guide CDC decisions, and Congress has held multiple hearings examining those moves. Schwartz will now be responsible for translating administration priorities into agency practice, a task that has tripped up previous CDC leaders.

What Schwartz inherits at the agency

Looking ahead, Schwartz is expected to be sworn in within days and to name a senior leadership team in the coming weeks. Lawmakers said they expect her to appear before the HELP Committee for routine oversight hearings later this year, and Cassidy indicated he intends to follow up on the commitments she made during her hearing.