Trump picks qualified, normal health department leader to lead CDC; experts remain cautious

“We saw what happened to Susan,” said Debra Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer who resigned in protest of Kennedy’s political interference. tell statistics news. “She can’t make staffing or policy decisions. What has changed? Kennedy has not changed.”

‘A disaster’

Washington Post report noted that in the search for a new CDC director, some qualified candidates sought the promise of autonomy to be able to fire and hire staff and to shield science from political influence. Sources told The Washington Post that those candidates were not selected.

Trump announces Schwartz nomination social media posts on Wednesday, calling her a “star” and announcing nominations for three other positions at the agency. “These highly respected MDs have the knowledge, experience, and highest degrees to restore the scientific gold standard to the CDC,” he wrote.

Kennedy responded “I congratulate Dr. Schwartz and the new CDC leadership team. I look forward to working together to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity to the CDC so that we can return it to its core mission and make America healthy again,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Kennedy’s close anti-vaccine ally and former personal attorney Aaron Siri, no flinchingcalled Schwartz’s leadership at the CDC “potentially a disaster.”

“Schwartz has led the nationwide Covid-19 vaccine rollout, and her long history of issuing direct directives on civilian and military vaccines that violate human rights, including requiring U.S. troops to vaccinate against smallpox, anthrax and influenza, and disciplining those who refuse, reflects her lack of basic morals and ethics to lead the CDC,” Siri wrote.

“Her previous promotion of nearly a dozen different vaccines, let alone mandates, leaves little hope for her to objectively oversee the CDC’s vaccine program…” he concluded.