CDC director’s ‘unusual’ silence draws scrutiny

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The Hill's Headlines — September 12, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — September 12, 2026

Just a month into her tenure, CDC director Erica Schwartz is missing in action.

The country is heading into respiratory virus season, and public guidance on COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines has been muddled, at best.  

The worst measles epidemic in more than 30 years continues unabated, while the Health and Human Services secretary is downplaying measles deaths and openly feuding with a sitting governor.

Through it all, Schwartz has made no public appearances or remarks.  

What little official communication that has come from the agency has been from social media and overtly political.  

Current CDC staff, as well as former officials and public health advocates, say they are left questioning Schwartz’s independence and the overall reliability of the nation’s public health agency. 

“This is very unusual,” said Deborah Houry, a former CDC chief medical officer before she resigned last year after Schwartz’s predecessor was ousted. 

 “Thinking back to all of the prior CDC directors I have worked with, almost all met with media and publicly spoke during their first month. This is especially important during an outbreak and back to school when the CDC director should be talking about priorities and how to respond to an ongoing measles crisis,” Houry said. 

A current veteran CDC staffer said it’s clear the public interfacing is coming from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

“There’s a noted absence of any kind of commentary from her,” the staffer said. “She could talk authoritatively off the cuff about measles if she wanted to; she has expertise. But she isn’t.” 

Without directly addressing Schwartz’s role, a CDC spokesperson said the agency is “fully engaged” in the measles response. 

“Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and Director Schwartz, CDC remains........

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