Erica Schwatz and More Trump Derangement Syndrome
You mean someone voted against her?
When Dr. Erica Schwartz was nominated for CDC director I said she should be confirmed unanimously by the Senate committee. You may recall that Dr. Schwartz is a black woman with an unbelievable resume. She served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, previously served as deputy surgeon general during the first Trump administration, medical degree from the Brown University and is board-certified in preventive medicine. She holds a master’s degree in public health and a law degree from the University of Maryland. She has received several awards, including a Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, and Commendation Medals from both the Navy and the Coast Guard. She managed and oversaw the Coast Guard’s mishap prevention, response, and investigation, as well as its childcare programs, food services delivery programs, Ombudsman, Substance Abuse, Health Promotion, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response programs.
Who would vote against her? The answer: all the democrats (dumocrats) on the committee vividly displaying Trump Derangement Syndrome. Even Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks voted no. Again Dr. Schwartz’s law degree is from the University of Maryland (where I once taught an MBA class while working at CBO).
Unbelievable.
During her hearing, Senator Bill Cassidy and other senators asked her what she would do if Kennedy instructed her to make changes that were not supported by science. Schwartz pledged to “never betray the science,” but she declined to dissent from some of the actions Kennedy has taken. She declined to commit to taking down a CDC website that suggests a link between childhood vaccines and autism. Recall that President Trump is pressuring Kennedy to recommend fewer childhood vaccines since Trump is convinced that there is a link between vaccines and autism. However, Schwarz did agree agree that existing medical evidence has not found a link.
Asked by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) if she believes mRNA vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, “are safe and effective.” She was unequivocal in her response saying “I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective.” That answer would put her in conflict with statements from her to be boss Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Bernie Sanders asked her how she’d respond if Trump or Kennedy asked her to implement “unscientific” policies that could “harm the health and wellbeing of the American people.” She responded “I do not think that the secretary or the president would ask me to do something like that.”
Sanders said that he would vote against her saying he was not confident she will “stand up” against Kennedy. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are anti-science and into conspiracy theories? And I am afraid that, right now within HHS, we have a secretary who will not tolerate this…. We need people in this country who are going to stand up, protect the American people, and I don’t think you’re going to see that right now with Secretary Kennedy in his position.” Does Sanders really think that a Trump nominee will come out at a confirmation hearing and openly oppose the president and Kennedy? This only reinforces Sanders’ hatred for all things Trump and his Trump Derangement Syndrome. If he honestly believes that Dr. Adm. Schwartz should not be CDC director then he and all his fellow democrats on the committee are simply fools.
The full Senate confirmed her 51-44. The only democrat to vote to confirm was Tim Kaine of Virginia. Even Fetterman voted against her. Isn’t it interesting that the democrats scream racist at all things Trump yet voted against confirming one of the most credentialed nominees of this administration – who is also a woman and a minority?
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