Key Senate panel backs Trump's picks for CDC, pandemic preparedness
31 July 2026 · filed under d2198a2650a1
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has voted to advance the nominations of Erica Schwartz for CDC director and Sean Kaufman for Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, sending both to the full Senate for confirmation, according to STAT News.
The committee’s approval marks a win for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., under whose department both posts fall. Schwartz and Kaufman were named among President Trump’s picks for the roles.
STAT News reports the committee vote as procedural progress toward full confirmation votes, which have not yet been scheduled. No timeline for a Senate floor vote was specified in the reporting.
The nominations had drawn scrutiny during the confirmation process, though the committee’s decision to advance both names indicates sufficient support among its members to proceed. Neither nominee has yet been confirmed to their respective post, and both remain subject to a vote by the full Senate before assuming their roles.
STAT News did not report additional detail on the committee’s internal deliberations or the substance of any objections raised during the confirmation process beyond the outcome of the vote itself.