Nothing says "welcome to your new job" quite like a nationwide diarrhea outbreak caused by contaminated salad greens. Dr. Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as the next CDC director, stepping into her role just as a Cyclospora parasite linked to lettuce is wreaking havoc on digestive systems across multiple states. Talk about a crappy first day at the office.
As Conservative Brief reported, the confirmation vote went pretty much exactly how you'd expect in today's political climate, which is to say, along party lines. Senate Democrats have opposed virtually every single person Trump has nominated for anything, and Schwartz was no exception. A couple of Republican senators who are on their way out the door also nearly torpedoed the whole thing, because apparently even leaving office doesn't cure some people of their need to cause drama.
The real entertainment came during Schwartz's confirmation hearing, where HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy grilled her about whether she'd actually run the CDC independently or just play secretary to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Schwartz's reassuring answer? "The secretary will absolutely allow me to be CDC director." Cassidy was not exactly thrilled with that response, saying he felt like he was working harder than he should to get a straight answer. He wanted someone who would "stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization." Worth noting that Cassidy himself was booted in a GOP primary earlier this year by a Trump endorsed challenger, so his remaining time in the chamber has apparently been dedicated to maximum candor.
Cassidy eventually came around, expressing confidence that Schwartz knows what she's doing. Schwartz becomes the second CDC director confirmed during this Congress alone. Her predecessor, Susan Monarez, lasted roughly one month before reportedly clashing with Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy and getting shown the exit. Trump had publicly backed Monarez during her confirmation, which apparently meant nothing once she started disagreeing with his HHS secretary.
In somewhat less chaotic news, the Senate actually agreed on something for once. They unanimously passed the National Plan for Epilepsy Act on Tuesday. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri sponsored the bill, which directs HHS to develop a coordinated national strategy for preventing, diagnosing, treating, and curing epilepsy. Schmitt co-founded the Senate Epilepsy Caucus and has a personal connection to the cause, as his son lives with the condition.
The numbers surrounding epilepsy are staggering. Nearly 3 million adults and over 450,000 children in America are affected. One out of every 26 people will develop the disorder during their lifetime, and healthcare costs associated with it top $54 billion every year. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.
So in summary, we got a new CDC director just in time for lettuce to wage biological warfare on the American public, one senator got real about "crazy stupid things," and Congress managed to unanimously agree that epilepsy is bad. Progress, folks.
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