By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN
(CNN) — Over the course of 12 months, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a traumatic shooting, abrupt leadership changes and a shattering of its image as a globally respected public health agency.
So by the time the Trump administration started looking for a new director, there was one requirement that topped the search criteria.
“We just need someone who’s not crazy,” a White House official told CNN.
It took months, but Trump officials finally think they’ve found the right candidate.
The choice of Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and retired US Coast Guard officer, to run the CDC is aimed at bringing stability to the agency after a year of near-constant upheaval that has decimated morale and deeply shaken Americans’ faith in the administration’s health agenda, senior health officials and others familiar with the matter said.
Schwartz is a notable departure from prior contenders considered by the administration, who have toed the “Make America Healthy Again” line. She has a lengthy record of guiding vaccination programs and crises responses for the government – a stark contrast to Trump’s first CDC pick, whose nomination was withdrawn, in part, because it became clear his vaccine skepticism would prevent him from getting the job.
Her candidacy has already won praise on Capitol Hill, generating hope within the administration that she’ll win quick confirmation.
And as the White House intensifies its focus on the midterm elections, the move is the latest sign of how significantly Trump aides have sought to rein in a Health and Human Services Department led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that once enjoyed wide latitude to pursue divisive efforts to overhaul vaccines and other core health policies.
But the move has already shaken the MAHA faithful, while still leaving some mainstream public health experts unconvinced.
“She’s a good and well-qualified nominee, and would be in any administration. However, the issue is not her qualifications — it’s the environment that she’s being asked to work in,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “If this is supposed to be some kind of pivot away from what’s been going on for the last year, it will all be window dressing if RFK Jr. is still in place.”
Meanwhile, Toby Rogers, a prominent vaccine critic, declared on X that Schwartz’s appointment would be “a slap in the face to the medical freedom base that gave Trump the presidency in 2016 and 2024.”
“The White House isn’t even trying to win the midterms at this point,” he added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
A notable shift
The White House has been eager to get the health department away from unflattering headlines in the run-up to midterm elections that could cost Republicans control of Congress — and stall President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Vaccines had been a particular sticking point. Trump withdrew his first nominee, former congressman Dr. Dave Weldon, when it became clear his vaccine views would stall a vote.
The CDC director who was confirmed, Dr. Susan Monarez — a scientist and longtime public health official — immediately clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policies and his efforts to oust some senior CDC officials. She was removed less than a month into the job.
After Monarez’s high-profile departure last August, some Trump officials questioned whether it was even worth attempting to find another nominee to run the agency.
Kennedy installed his then-deputy secretary, Jim O’Neill, as interim head, and sought to concentrate much of the decision-making among the department’s political leadership in Washington.
Yet senior Whi