Trump’s Pick to Head the CDC Says ‘Abortion Surveillance’ Would Be ‘Critical’ to Her Job

It’s been a hearings-heavy week over at the Senate, and those of you tuning in were not alone if you felt your sanity plundered as soon as Wednesday. But if it wasn’t already grim enough to hear the next potential Director of National Intelligence refusing to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election, or Todd Blanche vowing to kill medication abortion if he becomes attorney general—a MAGA pick on Thursday struck again, saying that, as head of the CDC, “abortion surveillance” would be a “critical component” of her job. Great!

Erica Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term, appeared before the Senate Health Committee for one of her confirmation hearings on Wednesday, during which she said she would “never betray the science,” “provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest and evidence-based,” and prioritize “radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity.” Contrary to any of that, she also dodged several questions about whether she’d ever openly disagree with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—but we’ll get to that in a second.

Most concerning was an exchange between Schwartz and anti-abortion Slenderman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)—when he asked if she would make the CDC’s voluntary abortion reporting system… less voluntary. 

“The CDC collects data on abortions that are committed in the United States of America through a system called the Abortion Reporting System,” Hawley said. “This system is voluntary, and so a number of states, not coincidentally large blue states, do not turn over any data, so that it’s difficult to get a picture of just how many abortions and under what circumstances are committed in this country.” (Currently, 44 states and Washington, D.C. have some form of required abortion reporting system.)

“Abortion surveillance is absolutely a critical component of what the CDC is currently doing,” Schwartz replied. “But I also want to also make sure that certain states are not conflating emergency services and hiding abortions in that emergency services case definition. We need to make sure we’re pulling out true abortions and making sure that we’re really having clear case definitions regarding abortions, so the data is actually accurate.” Which is… not great! 

Particularly terrifying is the notion that a CDC director-hopeful would ever accuse states of dubiously “conflating” emergency services with abortions. In states with bans, several women have died or been denied treatment because doctors are unable to determine a separation between the two without risking jail time or the loss of their license—often causing life-threatening delays. 

Also, after Roe was killed, abortion reporting requirements have become another avenue for surveilling and criminalizing abortion seekers and providers—and a more comprehensive data-collection system was one of the goals listed in Project 2025. 

All things considered, however, it looks like Schwartz will have some massive hurdles to overcome if she wants to lead the CDC—the most pressing of which is that the committee holds a razor 12-11 majority, and even one Republican’s “No” vote can block her nomination. If she does make it through, her name will appear before the Senate in a final vote.

Trump first announced his pick for Schwartz via Truth Social in April, describing her as “incredibly talented” and a “STAR!” This came months after Susan Monarez was ousted by the administration and fired in August 2025, about a month after she was confirmed by the Senate—allegedly for butting heads with RFK Jr. 

 “We need unbiased leaders who make decisions based upon science, not politics or ideology, and are committed to protecting children’s health,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and committee chairman said in his opening statement. After asking her about whether she would “stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization,” Schwartz replied, “[Kennedy] will absolutely allow me to be CDC director.” 

Cassidy later said, “I felt like you were always trying not to answer my question, which was disappointing.”

“If the secretary ordered you to stop promoting the flu vaccine during a deadly flu season for children, would you carry out that order?” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), at another point, asked. “Senator, I don’t speak in hypotheticals,” Schwartz responded.

“It isn’t hypothetical. It happened,” Hassan replied, referencing a directive sent from Kennedy to CDC staff.