--- title: "CDC confirms first permanent director in a year with Dr. Erica Schwartz" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/health/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/health/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz" category: "Health" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-05T19:46:49.487Z" source_reported: "2026-08-05T19:12:51.000Z" updated: "2026-08-05T19:46:49.487Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-05T19:30:26.460169+00:00" --- # CDC confirms first permanent director in a year with Dr. Erica Schwartz *The Senate voted 51-44 to approve Schwartz, the third Trump nominee for the role in 18 months, amid agency turmoil and staffing cuts* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports corroborate key facts; digests add breadth but no new evidence. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Quotes, figures, and context provided in full reports. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are measured and proportionate to the body text. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director on 5 August 2026 in a 51-44 vote, the first permanent leader in nearly a year. - Schwartz is the third Trump nominee for the role in 18 months, following the ousting of the previous confirmed director after less than a month in office. - The CDC has lost more than 3,000 employees, over a quarter of its workforce, since Trump returned to office in 2025. - No right-rated outlet reported on Schwartz’s confirmation, according to the digests and reports available. The US Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 5 August 2026. The vote was 51 in favour and 44 against. Schwartz, 54, is the 22nd director of the agency and the first confirmed leader in nearly a year. She previously served as deputy surgeon general and held a leadership position in the US Coast Guard. Schwartz’s confirmation follows a period of turmoil at the CDC. The agency has lost more than 3,000 employees, over one-quarter of its workforce, since Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Morale has declined amid a series of temporary leaders and political appointees with limited public health experience. Schwartz is the third Trump nominee for the role in the past 18 months. The previous confirmed director, Susan Monarez, was ousted less than a month after her confirmation. Monarez’s termination was attributed by Trump administration officials to a lack of alignment with the president’s agenda. Before Monarez, a former Florida congressman, Dr. David Weldon, was nominated but withdrew after his Senate hearing was cancelled due to insufficient support. ## What the coverage left out None of the digests or reports from right-rated outlets carried the story. The omission covers the confirmation vote, the agency’s staffing losses, and the context of Schwartz’s nomination. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (4) - Centre: 33% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-05T19:30:26.460169+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-05T20:00:37.750Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led on the confirmation as a turning point for the CDC after a year of instability. The Associated Press described the agency as "beleaguered by political meddling and low morale" and noted that Schwartz’s confirmation followed questions about her willingness to resist orders from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that lacked scientific backing. The AP also highlighted that Schwartz was Trump’s choice, not Kennedy’s, and that public health experts had expressed cautious optimism about her background. - The left-rated digests carried the vote count, Schwartz’s prior roles, and the agency’s staffing losses. NBC News and 90.1 FM WABE both noted that Schwartz was the first permanent director in over a year. NOTUS added that she had served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first administration. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports framed the confirmation as a response to prolonged leadership gaps. News 4 JAX, in its full report, mirrored the Associated Press’s language, describing the CDC as "beleaguered by political meddling and low morale" and detailing the agency’s staffing losses. It also included the same context about Schwartz’s nomination hearing and the questions raised by Sen. Bill Cassidy. - Bloomberg’s digest led on the timing of the confirmation, noting it came a year after Kennedy fired the previous director. It did not mention the agency’s staffing losses or the vote count. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 3 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [StreetInsider.com](https://streetinsider.com/Reuters/US+Senate+confirms+Schwartz+as+CDC+director/26873320.html) — US Senate confirms Schwartz as CDC director - [90.1 FM WABE](https://wabe.org/senate-confirms-dr-erica-schwartz-as-cdc-director-bringing-new-leadership-to-troubled-agency) — Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency - [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-cdc-director-confirmed-erica-shwartz-rcna590994) — New CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a year - [NOTUS](https://notus.org/health-science/senate-confirms-erica-schwartz-cdc) — Senate Confirms Erica Schwartz to Lead the CDC - [Bloomberg](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-05/us-senate-confirms-cdc-head-a-year-after-rfk-jr-fired-prior-one) — US Senate Confirms CDC Head a Year After RFK Jr. Fired Prior One - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/erica-schwartz-cdc-director-trump-47007f58dc1d4bd8f727a5773c37fd33) — Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency - [News 4 JAX](https://news4jax.com/health/2026/08/05/senate-confirms-dr-erica-schwartz-as-cdc-director-bringing-new-leadership-to-troubled-agency) — Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency ## Questions **Who is Dr. Erica Schwartz?** Dr. Erica Schwartz is the newly confirmed director of the CDC, the 22nd in the agency’s history. She previously served as deputy surgeon general and held a leadership role in the US Coast Guard. Schwartz is the first permanent CDC director in nearly a year, following a period of leadership instability under the Trump administration. **Why was the CDC without a permanent director for nearly a year?** The CDC faced repeated leadership changes under the Trump administration, including the ousting of the previous confirmed director, Susan Monarez, less than a month after her confirmation. The agency has operated with temporary leaders and political appointees since 2025, contributing to low morale and staffing losses of over 3,000 employees. **What challenges does Dr. Erica Schwartz face as CDC director?** Schwartz takes over an agency that has lost over a quarter of its workforce since 2025 and faces low morale. She will also navigate political pressures, including questions about her willingness to resist orders from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that lack scientific backing, as raised during her Senate confirmation hearing. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/health/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "CDC confirms first permanent director in a year with Dr. Erica Schwartz", https://mediabias.news/health/cdc-confirms-first-permanent-director-in-a-year-with-dr-erica-schwartz