'MAHA betrayal once again': Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Trump over Erica Schwartz’s CDC nomination

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized President Donald Trump over his new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pick, Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz, on Friday, 17 April.

The nomination comes amid ongoing political and institutional tensions surrounding vaccine policy, leadership changes, and public trust in federal health agencies. Schwartz previously served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first administration.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls out Donald Trump over Erica Schwartz's nomination

Greene mocked Trump’s decision, stating, “Trump loves vaccines, the COVID vaccine the most. So of course he picked one of the biggest covid vax enforcers from his 1st administration to run the CDC. MAHA betrayal once again. Stupid Republican consultants will miscalculate how bad this will hurt midterms too.”

Meanwhile, Trump has defended his choice, writing on Truth Social, “It is my honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC. She is a star!” 

Schwartz currently serves as the Coast Guard’s director of health, safety and work-life, overseeing 41 clinics and 150 sick bays.

Her experience includes instituting anthrax and smallpox vaccination policies, overseeing disaster responses, and responding to the Ebola crisis. The CDC had gone months without a Senate-confirmed director after Microbiologist Susan Monarez was ousted less than a month after confirmation.

Jay Bhattacharya has been serving as the acting CDC director. Trump also announced Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director and COO, Jennifer Shuford as deputy director and chief medical officer, and Sara Brenner as senior counselor to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Trump stated that these “Highly Respected Doctors of Medicine” would restore the “GOLD STANDARD OF SCIENCE” at the CDC, criticizing the agency under Former President Joe Biden. Schwartz is viewed as a traditional pick, with no public opposition to vaccines or ties to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general during the first Trump administration, described her as “a battle-tested leader,” adding, “If allowed to follow the science without political interference, she’ll excel.”

Susan Monarez's ouster deepens clash with RFK Jr over CDC vaccine policy

Monarez testified before a Senate committee that she was fired for refusing to approve vaccine policy changes “regardless of the scientific evidence.” She said Kennedy asked her to approve all recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose members he had replaced, and to dismiss vaccine policy officials “without cause.”

When she refused to resign, Kennedy indicated he had already spoken to the White House about her removal and was in frequent communication with Trump. Kennedy has denied instructing her to approve unscientific recommendations.

Monarez also testified that Kennedy called CDC staff “horrible people” and the agency “corrupt.” Her dismissal came shortly after a shooting at CDC headquarters, where a man allegedly fired 180 rounds, killing a police officer, in protest of COVID vaccines.

Following her removal, Monarez wrote in The Wall Street Journal that she lost her job for ensuring “unbiased evidence serves our nation’s health,” while Kennedy told Congress she was dismissed because she was “not trustworthy.”

CDC’s former chief medical officer Debra Houry, who resigned soon after Monarez, stated that CDC leadership had been reduced to “rubber stamps.” She added that during a deadly measles outbreak, she was not asked to brief Kennedy and had to correct misinformation about vaccines containing fetal parts.

Kennedy has accused health agencies of being influenced by corporate interests and ignoring chronic health risks. Meanwhile, several US states are pursuing independent immunization standards, and Florida is moving to eliminate vaccine mandates, as national debates over vaccines continue to intensify.