Senate panel approves CDC nominee, controversial HHS pick

The Republican-led Senate health committee has approved two controversial nominees to key health positions, though by notably narrow margins. Erica Schwartz won approval for Centers for Disease Control director by a twelve to ten vote, while Sean Kaufman, nominated for assistant secretary for preparedness and response, was approved twelve to eleven. Kaufman's past anti-vaccine statements had drawn scrutiny. Committee chair Bill Cassidy, a Republican, acknowledged Kaufman had 'said some pretty stupid things' regarding immunization, but voted yes after securing assurances that Kaufman would not be involved in vaccine policy if confirmed. Both now advance to full Senate confirmation votes. Per Axios, Schwartz is the Trump administration's third CDC director nominee, following her predecessor who was fired after less than a month over vaccine policy disputes, and she inherits an agency that's lacked permanent leadership for almost a year amid morale and staffing challenges.

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