The White House nominee for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, has advanced to a full Senate vote after a committee vote on Thursday. This move comes after extended discussions between federal officials and senators regarding vaccine misinformation.

Nomination Process

Sen. Bill Cassidy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced his support for Dr. Schwartz’s nomination, as well as that of Sean Kaufman, the nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Cassidy’s decision was made after conversations with top Health and Human Services (HHS) officials about removing claims about vaccines and autism from the CDC website and making personnel changes at the agency.

HHS recently edited a claim on its website regarding the link between vaccines and autism, stating there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism. Cassidy emphasized that discussions about the website are ongoing and that any assertion of a link between autism and vaccines is incorrect. He also noted that the administration is committed to continuing work to remove vaccine misinformation from the website.

Cassidy had previously expressed concerns about Dr. Schwartz’s independence and autonomy to lead the CDC, as well as Kaufman’s past remarks questioning the safety and effectiveness of immunizations, including mRNA vaccines. Kaufman has acknowledged his past statements and assured Cassidy that, if confirmed, he will not be involved in vaccine policy or be the ultimate decision-maker on issues like mRNA vaccines.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.