US Senate Confirms Trump's Third CDC Director Pick Amid Leadership Turmoil

The US Senate has confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after a tumultuous selection process that saw multiple failed attempts to fill the position.

Schwartz, who is President Donald Trump's third pick for the role, was confirmed 51-44, despite facing opposition from some lawmakers. She will be the first permanent CDC director since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Trump's second pick, Susan Monarez, after less than a month due to disagreements over vaccine policy.

Schwartz inherits an agency facing significant challenges, including the worst US measles resurgence in three decades, driven by falling childhood immunization rates, and international outbreaks of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Trump had previously withdrawn his first CDC pick, Dave Weldon, as well as a second surgeon general nominee, Casey Means, after it became apparent she lacked enough votes.

Schwartz has pledged to restore trust through 'radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity', aligning herself with Kennedy's broader agenda. She has also promised to resign from her board roles at UnitedHealth Group and sell her healthcare-related holdings.