Senate Confirms New CDC Director Amid Disease Outbreaks
Senate Democrats have nearly universally opposed every single person nominated by President Donald Trump for a position within his administration, and that continued on Wednesday regarding his pick to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Worse, Senate Democrats – along with a couple of Trump-deranged RINOs on their way out of the chamber in January – nearly tanked the nomination amid a parasite-linked outbreak that is causing diarrhea in victims.
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as the next CDC director, filling the agency’s top leadership position as public health officials respond to multiple disease outbreaks across the country.
Schwartz was confirmed largely along party lines.
Her confirmation comes amid a Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated lettuce that has affected multiple states.
She becomes the latest person to lead the CDC during President Trump’s second term, following a period of frequent leadership changes at the nation’s primary public health agency.
Schwartz’s nomination faced significant scrutiny before reaching the Senate floor, Fox News reported.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, lawmakers questioned whether she would maintain the CDC’s scientific independence while serving under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly on issues involving vaccine policy.
Among those raising concerns was HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., whose support was instrumental in Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary last year.
Cassidy questioned whether Schwartz would make decisions based on scientific and medical evidence or defer to the administration’s policy positions.
When she was pressed during her initial confirmation hearing about whether she would push back on politically motivated policies, Schwartz told Cassidy, “The secretary will absolutely allow me to be CDC director.”
“I feel like I’m having to go after this question a little bit more firmly than I feel like I should,” Cassidy said.
“You can be CDC director and just take orders. We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Cassidy, who was defeated in a GOP Senate primary earlier this year by a Trump-backed Republican said.
That changed, though, and Schwartz cleared her committee test, Fox noted.
Cassidy said the agency “needs someone who understands that the way to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases is to reassure the public that vaccines are safe and effective.”
“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” he said.
Schwartz is the second CDC director to receive Senate confirmation during the current Congress.
Her predecessor, Susan Monarez, served in the position for approximately one month.
Although Monarez received strong public support from President Trump during her confirmation process, she was later replaced following what reports described as disagreements with Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
In a rare display of unity, the Senate on Tuesday passed S. 494, the National Plan for Epilepsy Act, by unanimous consent.
The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create a coordinated national strategy aimed at preventing, diagnosing, treating, and ultimately curing epilepsy.
The bill passed without objection after clearing the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee earlier.
It now heads to the House for consideration.
Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million American adults and more than 450,000 children.
One in 26 people will develop the disorder in their lifetime.
It causes recurring, unprovoked seizures and carries a significantly higher risk of early death, especially for those with uncontrolled seizures. Healthcare costs tied to epilepsy exceed $54 billion annually.
Schmitt, co-founder of the Senate Epilepsy Caucus, has long made the issue personal. His son lives with the condition.
“Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in the United States, and as the father of a child living with the condition, the fight to cure epilepsy is deeply personal to me,” Schmitt said.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
