CDC Director Says RFK Jr. Makes the Final Call

The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz, gave her first interview since taking the job. She spoke with Atlanta News First about her relationship with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known as RFK Jr. Schwartz said she is not afraid to push back on Kennedy's ideas, but she made it clear that he is in charge. She said any disagreements between them will stay private and will not happen in public.

Schwartz used a phrase from her military background to explain how she handles disagreements. In the uniformed services, people can respectfully tell a superior they disagree by saying 'but sir' or 'but ma'am.' She shared that she has already used that phrase with Kennedy a few times in their five weeks working together, though always behind closed doors. Still, she was clear that Kennedy has the final word on all decisions because he is the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Schwartz's style is very different from the previous CDC director, Susan Monarez. Monarez openly pushed back against Kennedy's views on vaccines and was fired after less than a month on the job. That quick firing raised questions about whether anyone at the CDC could stand up to Kennedy. Schwartz's careful tone seems designed to avoid the same fate, though it has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, along with many Democrats, has questioned whether Schwartz will defend science when it goes against Kennedy's beliefs. Schwartz was seen as a strong, qualified choice when she was picked for the job. She had served as a top health official in the Coast Guard and as a deputy surgeon general during President Trump's first term. She also publicly supports childhood vaccines, which made many people hopeful she would bring stability to the CDC.

One of the biggest issues Schwartz is facing is the record-setting measles outbreak spreading across the United States. There have been deaths connected to the outbreak in Pennsylvania, but Schwartz directed the CDC not to count four of those deaths in its official records. She said the agency does not yet have a clear, standard definition of what counts as a measles-related death. She compared the dispute to debates during COVID-19 about whether someone who had the virus really died because of it.

Kennedy had already called the Pennsylvania death reports 'fabricated,' and later called the deaths 'alleged' at a White House event. His comments came amid a political argument with Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro. Pennsylvania health officials said their way of counting deaths follows the same rules the CDC uses for other breathing-related illnesses, and they would never count a death caused by something clearly unrelated. The disagreement has put Schwartz in a tough spot as she tries to keep Kennedy's trust while also protecting the CDC's reputation as a reliable health agency.