Senate grills Trump health nominees on vaccine policy

Two of President Donald Trump's nominees for key public health roles faced intense questioning over vaccine policy and their ability to withstand political pressure during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee highlighted deep concerns about the direction of federal health agencies under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Dr. Erica Schwartz, the nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Sean Kaufman, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, were grilled by senators from both parties. Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician from Louisiana, set the tone by stating he would not support any nominee who equivocated on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Schwartz, a 54-year-old retired U.S. Public Health Service rear admiral and former deputy surgeon general, is Trump's third attempt to install a permanent director at the CDC. The agency has been without stable leadership for most of his second term, following a series of abrupt changes. Schwartz pledged to follow science and use radical...