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CDC Director Nominee Says She Will ‘Never Betray the Science’ When Asked About Vaccines
President Donald Trump’s latest nominee to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 15 that she will not “betray the science” when asked about how she would handle potential disagreements with administration officials on vaccines.
“You can be CDC director and just take orders. We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things that are being said, that undermine faith in immunization,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, told Dr. Erica Schwartz, the nominee, during a hearing in Washington.
“You have my assurances that I will continue to lead by my integrity,” Schwartz said. “I will never compromise on the science. I will always, always have the public’s health in mind.”
GOP Senator Demands Special Counsel Probe of Dr. Anthony Fauci Over COVID-19 Origins
Sen. Roger Marshall has urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci following the release last month of new intelligence documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marshall (R-Kan.), one of four trained physicians in the Senate, argued in a Monday letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that a special counsel would “avoid the appearance that the federal government is improperly reviewing its own pandemic-era misconduct.” “Specifically, the investigation should examine Dr. Fauci’s role related to the origins of COVID- 19, federal funding for risky coronavirus research, and the obstruction of congressional oversight,” Marshall wrote.
Fauci, now 85, departed his longtime role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the end of 2022 after 38 years in the role. He also served as chief medical adviser to former President Joe Biden. Before departing the White House in January 2025, Biden handed Fauci a pre-emptive pardon absolving him of any and all federal offenses the doctor may have committed from Jan. 1, 2014.
Trump CDC and HHS Nominees Grilled Over Vaccines in Confirmation Hearing
The Washington Examiner reported:
Senators pressed President Donald Trump’s nominees to handle major public health programs, asking whether they supported the vaccine skepticism of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the upper chamber grows increasingly frustrated with the administration’s management of vaccine policies.
Dr. Erica Schwartz, the nominee to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Sean Kaufman, the nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness, faced pointed questions from both Democrats and Republicans regarding vaccines, which have been deeply politicized since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, set the tone early that the hearing would revolve around vaccines and Kennedy’s policies that critics say limit vaccine access.
Rollins on Cyclosporiasis: ‘It Is an FDA Issue, Not USDA’
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at the second annual Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday said cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that can lead to explosive diarrhea, is an issue for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to deal with, not the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). She also urged people to make sure they are washing their leafy greens and vegetables before eating them to prevent illness.
“It is an FDA issue, not USDA,” Rollins told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich during a wide-ranging discussion on agriculture issues. “But just from a food supply issue, washing your fruit and vegetables, being diligent in where you are” is the best way to stay safe, the secretary said. She later added, “Our food supply we’re getting is the best in the world.”
GOP Governors, Utilities Join Trump Data Center Pledge
President Donald Trump is expanding his data center pledge to include some Republican governors and several large utilities, according to state officials and industry executives.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe have all signed the White House’s so-called Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a set of principles committing data center developers to pay for their fair share of energy and water use, along with electric grid improvements and maintenance, according to officials in each state. Electric utilities are also expected to sign the pledge, according to seven people familiar with the plans.
The White House declined to confirm the signatories, but said the pledge was drawing new support. “There is nothing to announce at this time, but President Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge has been so impactful that additional stakeholders also want to sign it,” a White House official said in a statement.
