Trump nominees await final Senate committee vote in confirmation process

Three of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees could advance this week or next, if a majority of Senate committee members vote in their favor.

All three nominees appeared for their confirmation hearings before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and are awaiting the final vote, which was scheduled for Thursday.

For director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, who is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and holds degrees in medicine, law and public health. She also served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard and as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration.

“As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest and evidence based,” Schwartz said at her hearing. “I will never betray the science.”

Schwartz appeared before the Committee July 16 in a joint hearing with nominee for Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the Department of Health and Human Services, Sean Kaufman.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, said if either of the nominees held anti-vaccination beliefs, that they would not receive a vote from him. Schwartz and Kaufman spent time during the hearing clarifying their stances regarding vaccinations and whether their views align with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kaufman specifically faced criticism over his past statements about mask mandates and the CDC, despite working in that department for more than a decade.

“Let me be clear: Vaccines save lives,” Kaufman said during the hearing. “They are safe and effective and remain one of the most important tools in public health for preventing infectious diseases and protecting the American people.”

Keith Sonderling, the nominee for Secretary of Labor, is currently serving as acting Secretary of Labor. He appeared for his confirmation hearing July 15, and Committee members questioned him about workplace safety and Artificial Intelligence. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, asked Sonderling about AI usage, to which he responded that the Department is gathering data on AI usage in the workforce.

“Before we can get [data] from the employers and tech companies, we’re going to get it from the American workers who are being impacted instantly, and we’ll be able to see what they’re doing,” Sonderling responded.

The HELP Committee was scheduled to vote Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, but Kaufman and Sonderling’s votes were postponed to next week.