August 05, 2026, 06:58 PM
downtownvNew CDC director is confirmed, Why do we need this fat bloated agency
New CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a year
Schwartz becomes the CDC’s 22nd leader as the agency faces 3,000-plus departures and questions over political influence, officials said.
The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Atlanta-based CDC in a 51-44 vote on Wednesday, making her the agency's 22nd leader and first Senate-confirmed director in nearly a year.
Turmoil has gripped the CDC since Republican President Donald Trump returned to office last year, with the agency losing more than 3,000 employees—over one-quarter of its workforce—amid layoffs and resignations.
Schwartz is the third Trump nominee for CDC director in the past 18 months; earlier, the Senate canceled a hearing for David Weldon, and Susan Monarez was ousted less than a month after confirmation.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., initially questioned whether Schwartz would resist pressure from health secretary Robert Kennedy, but gained confidence after further discussions, overcoming gridlock in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
With medical and law degrees plus Coast Guard leadership experience, Schwartz faces the challenge of stabilizing the agency amid depleted morale and ongoing political friction within federal health leadership.
https://ground.news/article/ne...ent-leader-in-a-yearAugust 05, 2026, 07:04 PM
egregoreI suppose it has done some good. The problem with it is being politicized and straying from its intended purpose, e.g., "gun violence" being framed as a health problem.
August 05, 2026, 08:12 PM
tatortoddThis is an area I was hoping DOGE would make a difference. The amount of intentional overalp of gov't agencies costs taxpayers 10s of billions of dollars per year if not more.
For example, before COVID I thought CDC was THE infectious disease agency for the government. Then, that worm Fauci and NIAID crawled out of the swamp into the limelight. Give me a fucking break allergies AND infectious diseases.
CDC has also strayed from core mission:
gun violence as others have mentioned (i.e. should be DOJ)
drowning and fall prevention (i.e. should be ACL)
youth violence (i.e. should be samhsa and doj)
occupational safety & health (i.e. NIOSH/OSHA's purvue)
health equity and disparities (i.e. should be HHS minorities office)
reproductive and maternal health ((i.e. should be mchb)
heart disease & stroke (i.e. should be HRSA for mgmt and NIH for research)
diabetes (i.e. should be HRSA)
obesity (i.e. should be FDA for food and NIH for research)
smoking & tobacco (i.e. should be FDA for tobacco regulation and NIH for research)
August 05, 2026, 08:21 PM
nhtagmemberThey’ve lost 3000 employees. Hopefully some of those non core tasks have been detrimentally impacted and won’t be reconstituted.
All of those mentioned could be fully staffed by just one person.
It’s all you need to give a caller the right phone number to call.
August 05, 2026, 08:33 PM
BassamaticThat agency has been around since 1946.
Dump the whole thing. We will be just fine.
August 06, 2026, 08:43 AM
tleddyI took courses at CDC in the late 70s that were instrumental in helping me deal with HIV as a Clinical Laboratory Manager in the 80s.
As is the problem with many Government Institutions, politics raises its head! When I found out that scientists on the Government payroll were allowed to be paid up to $100,000 extra per year by those they are overseeing - and the amount, Public Record, had been protected from the public by Fauci, I went nuts!!
August 06, 2026, 09:43 AM
FenderBenderIf they stuck to their job, focusing on the B in CBRN there is a case to be made for them.
Explored in an excellent book, here
https://www.amazon.com/Biologi...cobsen/dp/B0FY5WRTVC