Trump nominates Erica Schwartz to lead CDC

Schwartz is a physician who holds a medical degree from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Maryland. She served as deputy surgeon general under the first Trump administration and spent more than two decades in the military, starting with the U.S. Navy before joining the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard.

During her time in the Coast Guard, she became rear admiral and served as the branch's CMO, overseeing the organization's 41 clinics and 150 sick bays.

In a social media post announcing the nomination, Trump described Schwartz as "incredibly talented" and said, "She is a STAR!"

Trump also announced he's nominating Sean Slovenski as CDC's deputy director and COO, Jennifer Shuford as the agency's deputy director and CMO, and Sara Brenner as senior counselor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Slovenski is a former executive at Walmart, while Shuford is an infectious disease physician who previously served as a medical officer and state epidemiologist for Texas before becoming the state's health commissioner.

Meanwhile, Brenner briefly served as FDA's acting commissioner. During her time at FDA, Brenner was one of the authors of a memo saying there was "no clear evidence" that the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines for children under 18 outweighed the risk of harm.

If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz would be the CDC's fourth leader in just over a year. In March of last year, President Trump withdrew his initial nomination for CDC director, medical doctor and former congressman Dave Weldon, after the White House determined Weldon didn't have enough support to win confirmation from the Senate.

Trump then nominated Susan Monarez, who was serving as acting director of CDC, and Monarez was confirmed by the Senate in July. However, in August, Monarez was ousted from the agency, reportedly due to her disagreements with Kennedy. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill was then named acting director of CDC until he left HHS in February and was replaced by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.

"She's really wicked smart, and is not subject to rumor and conspiracy theories," Giroir added. "I'm very pleased that a person with her experience, credentials, and dedication to public health and prevention is a candidate for this position."

However, some close allies of Kennedy's were disappointed by the nomination, noting the Schwartz helped to enforce vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Since she can't even respect the right to and need for informed consent, there is little hope that she will respect the rights and needs of the vaccine injured," said Aaron Siri, a lawyer who has often joined Kennedy in lawsuits regarding vaccine safety.

"The explosion in childhood chronic disease over the last 40 years, coinciding with the explosion of the vaccine schedule, is unlikely to be addressed by someone who insists on mandating these products in violation of the right to informed consent," he added.