The Senate has confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to The New York Times and other outlets. The confirmation fills the agency’s top post after a period without an official director.
Schwartz’s nomination drew attention in part because of questions about how she would work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly over whether she would challenge or defer to him on public-health policy. The debate highlighted broader concerns about the director’s independence and responsibilities within the administration.
The confirmation places Schwartz at the helm of the nation’s leading federal public-health agency. Her tenure is expected to include overseeing the C.D.C.’s work on disease prevention, health guidance and responses to public-health threats, although the available reports do not provide further details about her plans or the Senate vote.