US EditionWhite House delays CDC pick as officials search for permanent director
The White House delays naming a CDC director as acting head Bhattacharya continues beyond the 210-day federal limit while candidates are evaluated, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the White House missed the deadline to nominate a permanent CDC director, leaving Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the US National Institutes of Health, to continue performing the agency's delegable duties.
- Thursday marks 210 days since HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Dr. Susan Monarez, who served only 29 days; the Vacancies Act caps acting service at this legal limit.
- The CDC has endured significant turmoil, including a shooting that killed DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, the dismissal of 17 vaccine experts, and unconsulted edits to vaccine safety webpages.
- Measles cases are at their highest level in three decades, prompting Kayla Hancock, director of the Public Health Project, to criticize the administration's "incompetence and neglect" regarding the agency tasked with keeping Americans safe.
- HHS Secretary Kennedy and chief counselor Chris Klomp are evaluating candidates to align the agency with the administration's mission. Bhattacharya indicated he expects "not that much will change" regardless of tomorrow's nomination status.
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White House delays picking CDC director despite deadline
The White House did not nominate a new CDC director on Wednesday despite coming up against a federally imposed deadline to do so. White House Spokesperson Kush Desai told Healio that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, will continue to perform the duties of acting CDC director until a permanent replacement is selected.
White House isn’t ready to nominate a new CDC director
The Trump administration had been expected to nominate a new director for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, but the White House is not ready to name its pick for the post, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
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