The White House is considering former deputy U.S. surgeon general Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a move that would represent the administration’s latest attempt to install stable leadership at the country’s top public health agency after months of disruption and political conflict. Reuters, citing The Washington Post, reported that the decision is still not final and that President Donald Trump could still choose another candidate.
Schwartz, a former Navy physician and retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, served during Trump’s first term and would become the administration’s third attempt to place a permanent director at the CDC since January 2025. If formally nominated, she would still need Senate confirmation. Reuters also reported that former Walmart executive Sean Slovenski is being considered for a senior deputy role, pending Trump’s approval.
The possible selection comes after two earlier leadership efforts unraveled. Trump’s first pick, former congressman Dave Weldon, was withdrawn after Republican resistance signaled he would struggle to win confirmation. Susan Monarez then briefly moved into the role before being pushed out during clashes over vaccine policy linked to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s broader effort to reshape federal public health guidance.
That political backdrop is central to the challenge. Any new CDC chief would be expected to navigate tensions over vaccine policy, respond to a growing measles outbreak, and restore confidence inside an agency that current and former officials describe as deeply unsettled. The administration is also trying to find someone who can satisfy competing demands: acceptable to Kennedy and his allies, confirmable in the Senate, and capable of calming a shaken workforce at a time when public health has become politically charged terrain.
In the meantime, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya has been overseeing the CDC as well, an unusual arrangement that has further underscored the instability at the agency. Whoever ultimately gets the job will inherit not only a leadership vacuum but also an institution under pressure from legal battles, political scrutiny, and a growing debate over the future of vaccine policy in the United States.
