Senate confirms Erica Schwartz as new CDC director in a high-stakes showdown amid mounting disease outbreaks!
Senate Democrats have nearly universally opposed every single person nominated by President Donald Trump for a position within his administration, and that continued on Wednesday regarding his pick to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Worse, Senate Democrats – along with a couple of Trump-deranged RINOs on their way out of the chamber in January – nearly tanked the nomination amid a parasite-linked outbreak that is causing diarrhea in victims.
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The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as the next CDC director, filling the agency’s top leadership position as public health officials respond to multiple disease outbreaks across the country.
Schwartz was confirmed largely along party lines.
Her confirmation comes amid a Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated lettuce that has affected multiple states.
She becomes the latest person to lead the CDC during President Trump’s second term, following a period of frequent leadership changes at the nation’s primary public health agency.
Schwartz’s nomination faced significant scrutiny before reaching the Senate floor, Fox News reported.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, lawmakers questioned whether she would maintain the CDC’s scientific independence while serving under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly on issues involving vaccine policy.
Among those raising concerns was HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., whose support was instrumental in Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary last year.
Cassidy questioned whether Schwartz would make decisions based on scientific and medical evidence or defer to the administration’s policy positions.
When she was pressed during her initial confirmation hearing about whether she would push back on politically motivated policies, Schwartz told Cassidy, “The secretary will absolutely allow me to be CDC director.”
“I feel like I’m having to go after this question a little bit more firmly than I feel like I should,” Cassidy said.
“You can be CDC director and just take orders. We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Cassidy, who was defeated in a GOP Senate primary earlier this year by a Trump-backed Republican said.
That changed, though, and Schwartz cleared her committee test, Fox noted.
Cassidy said the agency “needs someone who understands that the way to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases is to reassure the public that vaccines are safe and effective.”
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” he said.
Schwartz is the second CDC director to receive Senate confirmation during the current Congress.
Her predecessor, Susan Monarez, served in the position for approximately one month.
Although Monarez received strong public support from President Trump during her confirmation process, she was later replaced following what reports described as disagreements with Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
In a rare display of unity, the Senate on Tuesday passed S. 494, the National Plan for Epilepsy Act, by unanimous consent.
The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create a coordinated national strategy aimed at preventing, diagnosing, treating, and ultimately curing epilepsy.
The bill passed without objection after clearing the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee earlier.
It now heads to the House for consideration.
Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million American adults and more than 450,000 children.
One in 26 people will develop the disorder in their lifetime.
It causes recurring, unprovoked seizures and carries a significantly higher risk of early death, especially for those with uncontrolled seizures. Healthcare costs tied to epilepsy exceed $54 billion annually.
Schmitt, co-founder of the Senate Epilepsy Caucus, has long made the issue personal. His son lives with the condition.
“Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the United States, and as the father of a child living with the condition, the fight to cure epilepsy is deeply personal to me,”
How Would You Feel About Ilhan Omar Being Deported?
A prominent progressive senator is distancing his political movement from several positions that have become liabilities for Democrats in recent elections.
His comments prompted questions for one of Congress’ best-known progressive lawmakers, who was pressed on whether activists and candidates associated with the movement had actually embraced the policies he was dismissing.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., responded Friday after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that “no serious person” running for office supports defunding the police, despite the issue’s prominent role in progressive politics following the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Sanders made the comments during an Aug. 5 appearance on the “Pod Save America” podcast with former Obama administration speechwriter Jon Favreau.
Favreau asked Sanders about Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates who have supported policies including abolishing prisons, defunding or abolishing police departments and eliminating national borders.
“No serious person that I know who is running for office believes in, quote unquote, defunding the police,” Sanders responded.
Sanders acknowledged problems within some law enforcement agencies while arguing that police officers continue to perform a necessary and difficult job.
“We need to get rid of racism” in police departments, Sanders said while discussing reforms he believes are necessary.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins subsequently confronted Omar about Sanders’ characterization and asked whether the Vermont senator was correct that no serious candidates were advocating defunding the police.
Omar pointed to Minneapolis and the political environment following Floyd’s death while explaining why the issue became particularly important in her community.
“For us in Minneapolis, with the murder of George Floyd, we had to have a deeper conversation about what really it looked like for us to address public safety here,” Omar said.
“We had a police department that was essentially problematic,” she continued.
Omar argued that the discussion changed once the Minneapolis debate became a national political issue.
“And when that conversation becomes nationalized, then you sort of get the kind of messaging that gets sort of lost in the void,” she said.
“Minneapolis has come a long way. We still have a long way to go. And I think that is sort of what Bernie was speaking to,” Omar added.
Collins pressed Omar specifically on Sanders’ assertion that “no serious person” running for office supported defunding police departments.
“I mean, when he says that, I think he’s talking about someone putting forth a piece of legislation,” Omar responded.
“And to that regard, I would say that he is right,” she continued. “I haven’t seen any pieces of legislation or ordinances come through in the United States since 2020.”
The exchange comes as DSA-backed candidates have scored victories in several Democratic primaries, bringing renewed scrutiny to some of the organization’s more controversial positions.
DSA national co-chair Megan Romer defended the organization’s support for abolishing institutions including the Senate and Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a Fox News appearance last month.
Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist but is not a member of the Democratic Party, also rejected several other positions associated with elements of the socialist movement during his conversation with Favreau.
Asked about abolishing prisons, Sanders said he wants the United States to incarcerate fewer people but rejected eliminating imprisonment for dangerous criminals.
“I hope the day comes when we don’t lead the world in the number of people who are in custody,” Sanders said. “That speaks very poorly of our society.”
“But does that mean that there should not be dangerous people who should be behind bars? Of course, everybody agrees with that,” he added.
Sanders was equally direct when discussing immigration and the idea of eliminating borders.
“Open borders? No,” Sanders said. “We all, most of us, believe in comprehensive immigration reform, not opening up all the borders.”
Sanders argued that conservatives amplify the most controversial proposals associated with the political left, but maintained that “most serious candidates” do not embrace those positions.
