New CDC director pledges to ‘speak truth’ about science

Health newsNew CDC director pledges to ‘speak truth’ about scienceDr. Erica Schwartz addressed CDC employees Wednesday in her first agency-wide meeting. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Dr. Erica Schwartz, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Erica Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd to GoogleAug. 19, 2026, 4:54 PM EDTBy Erika EdwardsThe new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Erica Schwartz, said Wednesday that the agency is prepared to handle a variety of disease outbreaks, despite internal concerns about drastic cuts to CDC staff and programs. Schwartz made the remarks during an internal meeting with CDC staff. NBC News reviewed a transcript of the agency-wide meeting, Schwartz’s first since taking the helm of the agency earlier this month. In a question and answer portion of the event, one staffer expressed concern about the agency’s ability to continue the high level of detailed work necessary to address ongoing outbreaks such as measles and Ebola following a massive reduction in force. About a quarter of the CDC’s workforce either have left the agency or were fired during President Donald Trump’s second term. “The brain drain is fierce,” the staffer said, according to the transcript. “How are we going to hold up CDC’s image of being the gold standard when the back door and front door is wide open and people are leaving?”Schwartz said that despite the turmoil she thought the agency was doing “a remarkable job.”“Can we do more? Certainly. We can do more. Will we be prepared for the next outbreak? I think we will be,” she said.Schwartz is the CDC’s first permanent leader in a year. Former director Susan Monarez was fired last summer less than a month into the role after clashing with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term, told employees she feels “very comfortable” dealing with Kennedy, adding that she’s alr...