CDC Director Nominee Erica Schwartz Affirms Support for mRNA Vaccines in Senate Confirmation Hearing
Key Insights
Dr. Erica Schwartz, Trump's CDC director nominee, told senators she believes mRNA technology is "safe and effective" during her confirmation hearing.
Sen. Bill Cassidy warned he would not support the nomination if there was any "equivocation" on the fact that vaccines are overwhelmingly safe and effective.
Schwartz pledged to "go where the science leads" and promised "radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity" if confirmed.
Dr. Erica Schwartz, the Trump administration's third nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (search), offered unequivocal support for vaccines — including mRNA technology — during her Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday morning, drawing a potential line of conflict with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"My sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that's clear, honest, and evidence-based," Schwartz said in her opening remarks. "I will never betray the science."
When pressed by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) on whether she believes mRNA vaccines (search), including the COVID-19 (search) vaccine, "are safe and effective," Schwartz did not hesitate. "I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective," she said.
A Clear Standard from the Committee Chair
Sen. Bill Cassidy, the outgoing Louisiana Republican who chairs the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, set a firm expectation at the outset. "Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe and effective," Cassidy said in his opening statement. "Any equivocation of these facts, and I shall not be able to support the nomination."
Cassidy, who has previously clashed with the administration over Kennedy's policies loosening vaccine recommendations, pressed Schwartz further, asking whether she would "stand up to crazy, stupid things being said." Schwartz responded: "I will go where the science leads us and I will not have predetermined answers."
Tensions with HHS Leadership
Schwartz's pro-vaccine posture stands in contrast to actions taken under Kennedy's leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (search). HHS canceled contracts and pulled funding for $500 million in mRNA research, abandoning programs studying how the technology could be applied to HIV, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and certain cancers. The department also refused to review Moderna's application for a new mRNA-based flu vaccine.
When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked Schwartz how she would respond if Trump or Kennedy asked her to implement "unscientific" policies that could "harm the health and wellbeing of the American people," she dismissed the premise. "I do not think that the secretary or the president would ask me to do something like that," she said.
"Really. You think that is?" Sanders asked before ending the line of questioning.
Schwartz's Credentials and the CDC's Leadership Void
Schwartz brings public health credentials that include serving as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard and as a deputy U.S. surgeon general during the first Trump administration. The CDC has been without a permanent director since last summer, when Susan Monarez was ousted for refusing to sign off on vaccine policies advanced by Kennedy. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has served as acting CDC director in the interim.
Schwartz said she would prioritize "restoring trust in public health institutions through radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity."
Co-Nominee Faces Vaccine Scrutiny
Schwartz appeared alongside Sean Kaufman, Trump's pick for HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response. Kaufman, who has a background in infectious disease prevention and served as a senior adviser for global affairs at the CDC, faced questions over a since-deleted May 2025 LinkedIn post in which he questioned the safety of mRNA vaccines (search) and argued against giving infants the hepatitis B vaccine.
"The risk-to-benefit ratio for vaccinating infants under these circumstances doesn't exactly scream 'urgent,'" Kaufman had written, according to reporting first published by STAT News.
Cassidy told Kaufman he had reviewed the reporting and would give him the chance to respond. Kaufman quickly expressed support for vaccines in his opening statement: "Let me be clear: Vaccines save lives. They are safe and effective and remain one of the most important tools in public health for preventing infectious diseases and protecting the American people."