Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed support for vaccines \u2014 including mRNA-based covid shots \u2014 in a Senate hearing on Wednesday, though she didn\u2019t dispel concerns the agency has lost any independence from the White House.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been vaccinating people throughout my entire career in uniformed services. I believe in vaccines,\u201d Schwartz said at the hearing. \u201cI do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her position contrasts with that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ousted Trump\u2019s previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, after she sparred with him over vaccines. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has baselessly called mRNA vaccines the deadliest ever made.<\/p>\n
Schwartz \u201chas dedicated her career to protecting the health of the American people.\u201d Emily Hilliard, an HHS spokesperson, said in an emailed statement. \u201cThe president nominated her because of that exemplary record, and Secretary Kennedy looks forward to working with her to advance the Administration\u2019s public health priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CDC has had a Senate-confirmed leader for only about one month during Trump\u2019s second term, and the agency has been roiled over the administration\u2019s cuts to public health funding, firings of scientists and other career employees, and efforts to scale back childhood vaccines and access to covid shots.<\/p>\n
Schwartz, who was deputy surgeon general in Trump\u2019s first administration and is a former chief medical officer for the Coast Guard, has support in the public health community, where it\u2019s hoped she can restore credibility at the agency she would lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will follow the science wherever it leads,\u201d Schwartz told senators. \u201cMy first priority will be restoring trust in public health institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Democrats and some Republicans have expressed doubt that Schwartz will maintain any more independence from Kennedy than Monarez, who has said she was fired in August after refusing to sign off on changes Kennedy demanded to vaccine recommendations and personnel cuts. In a series of emails<\/a> Monarez \u201crefused to act as a rubber stamp for Secretary Kennedy\u2019s very dangerous agenda,\u201d Sanders said July 15 at the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee\u2019s confirmation hearing for Schwartz. \u201cFrankly, she stood up for protecting the well-being of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n The chairman of the HELP Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), pressed Schwartz on whether she would push back against rhetoric or policies not based in science.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need unbiased leaders who make decisions based upon science, not politics or ideology,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cThis is not a theoretical.\u201d<\/p>\n Cassidy, a physician, has also quarreled with Kennedy over vaccines. He lost a Republican primary for reelection in May after Trump endorsed one of his opponents. Despite his rupture with the White House, Schwartz almost certainly needs Cassidy\u2019s support to win confirmation. That requires publicly committing to support vaccination and mainstream science.<\/p>\n Schwartz told the committee she would \u201cnever compromise\u201d on science.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president would never ask me to not follow the law,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I will always follow the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Many Democrats on the committee raised concerns about the administration\u2019s politicization of public health. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) asked about the \u201cpolitical scrubbing\u201d of research grants. Trump officials have canceled many research grants under the CDC and the National Institutes of Health for political reasons, including targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cRestoring trust to the CDC is my No. 1 priority,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cScientific integrity is core.\u201d<\/p>\n The American Public Health Association\u2019s CEO, Georges Benjamin, endorsed Schwartz in April<\/a>, saying she \u201cpossesses the medical background and public health knowledge to understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must be guided by evidence-based science.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/07\/Schwartz_02.jpg?w=1270\")
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