Trump's CDC and ASPR Nominees Face Bipartisan Grilling Over Vaccine Views

Two of President Trump's health nominees walked into the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this week and walked out with a lot fewer friends than they started with.

Dr. Erica Schwartz, nominated to run the CDC, and Sean Kaufman, nominated to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at HHS, both faced pointed vaccine questions from Republicans and Democrats alike, according to the Washington Examiner.

Schwartz Has the Resume. The Question Is Backbone.

Schwartz isn't some political hack. She's got a medical degree, a master's in public health, and a law degree. She spent decades as a Navy officer, served as Chief Medical Officer for the Coast Guard, and was deputy surgeon general during Trump's first term, according to Ars Technica. Her record on vaccines is solid and evidence-based.

The problem isn't her qualifications. It's what happened to the last guy who had them.

Susan Monarez, Trump's first Senate-confirmed CDC director, lasted 29 days before Kennedy and Trump fired her, according to Ars Technica. Monarez testified last fall that she was pushed out because she refused to pre-approve childhood vaccine schedule decisions from Kennedy's handpicked advisory panel, according to the Washington Examiner.

That firing hangs over Schwartz's nomination like a loaded gun. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the committee chairman and a physician, didn't mince words. "Any equivocation on these facts, and I shall not be able to support your immunization, your nomination, because when trust is destroyed, it's hard to be effective," Cassidy told both nominees, according to the Washington Examiner.

Schwartz's answer: she doesn't think Kennedy or Trump would pressure her the way they pressured Monarez, but she'd "follow the science wherever the science may lead," according to the Washington Examiner. She also repeatedly declined to answer hypothetical questions about political interference. A dodge that didn't sit well with senators who pointed out that Kennedy's demand to Monarez is now public record, not hypothetical.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) pressed Schwartz directly on whether she believes vaccines are safe and effective and whether Trump's political pressure would come before Americans' health, according to a statement from Baldwin's office.

Kaufman's Paper Trail Is the Real Problem

If Schwartz's issue was vagueness, Kaufman's issue was a documented record. He's got three decades of experience in outbreak preparedness and biosafety, including leadership roles at the CDC and Emory University, according to Ars Technica. On paper, reasonably qualified.

But Stat News dug up past comments where Kaufman raised the long-debunked claim linking vaccines to autism, promoted "natural immunity" over vaccination, and opposed vaccine mandates, according to Ars Technica. Baldwin's office noted Kaufman has also said he'd "rather perish" than let his child get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to her office's statement.

For a job that's supposed to make sure the country has vaccines, tests, and treatments ready for the next pandemic or bioterror threat, that's a legitimate red flag. Committee members from both parties treated it that way.

The Fair Case for Skepticism of the Critics, Too

Kennedy's supporters and some conservatives argue the entire vaccine schedule and childhood immunization framework has never faced enough independent scrutiny, and that questioning it isn't the same as being "anti-science." That's a real policy debate, not a conspiracy theory on its face. Parents raising concerns about vaccine injury or pushing for informed consent aren't automatically fringe.

The problem for Kaufman specifically isn't that he asked questions. It's that he made statements, the autism-vaccine link chief among them, that have been repeatedly and rigorously disproven by large-scale studies, not just disputed by opponents. Senators from both parties treated it as disqualifying for a role built entirely around trusting the science during an emergency.

Numbers Baldwin's Office Cited

Baldwin's office pointed to CDC data showing 2,231 confirmed measles cases as of early July 2026, already close to matching all of 2025's total, with 93% of cases linked to unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccination status, according to Baldwin's statement. That's the backdrop for why senators in both parties are nervous about who runs CDC and ASPR right now.

What Comes Next

Neither nomination has been voted on by the full committee as of this writing. Cassidy's comments suggest Schwartz's confirmation could stall if she doesn't give clearer answers about resisting political pressure. Kaufman's path looks rockier given the documented statements senators cited on the record.

The open question is whether Kennedy's HHS will let either nominee operate independently if confirmed, or whether the Monarez precedent—fired in 29 days for not falling in line—repeats itself. No senator got a firm answer to that on Wednesday.