US Senate Health Committee Delays Vote on CDC Director Nominee Erica Schwartz

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee postponed its Thursday vote on whether to advance Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy said a family emergency reduced the number of Republican senators present, pushing the vote to next week.

Cassidy later expressed confidence that Schwartz would “stand against those who do not” follow scientific evidence, noting that the administration had made a “sign of good faith” change to the CDC’s website on vaccines and autism. The page now states that vaccines do not cause autism and that the claim is not evidence‑based.

Senators also raised concerns about pressure from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and about the nomination of Sean Kaufman for assistant secretary for preparedness and response, whose anti‑vaccine statements have drawn criticism. The committee deferred a vote on Kaufman’s nomination to a later date.

If confirmed, Schwartz would become the 22nd CDC director, overseeing the agency’s response to preventable health threats amid ongoing leadership turnover.