Ping Huang

So the CDC is much quieter these days.

They're informing the public a lot less.

And they've been challenged recently for things like vaccine changes made under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Internally, Trump has again proposed big cuts to their budget and staffing.

And the people who remain there say that they've lost trust in the federal leadership.

Schwartz will have her work cut out for her.

Now, Admiral Paul Zuckamp, the former commandant of the Coast Guard who was her boss there, says she's got some traits that will serve her well.

Zuckamp says that she's well-schooled in the science and also good at communicating about issues that might be controversial.

So in testimony yesterday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

said that she, along with others named to help lead the CDC, have been getting applause from both Republicans and Democrats.

Public health leaders that I spoke with are cautiously optimistic, so are two high-up CDC officials I've spoken with, although they're not authorized to talk to the press.

They are glad that Schwartz has training and experience in public health, and they also think that a new executive team could bring some order back to the agency's leadership.

You know, sources there say that

there's a dozen or so political appointees jostling for influence there, and it's been really messy.

But

Schwartz does still need to get through Senate confirmation, which recent history shows can take a few months.

By the way, who's in charge right now?

Okay, so that would be Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

He's been serving as the interim director of the CDC since February, and he's expected to continue leading both the CDC and the National Institutes of Health until a new director arrives.

You're welcome.