CDC Director nominee Erica Schwartz told senators at her confirmation hearing that she believes mRNA technology is "safe and effective," a stance that contrasts with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has called mRNA vaccines "the deadliest ever made."
Multiple outlets, including KFF Health News, PBS NewsHour, and AP News, confirmed Schwartz's exact words: "I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective."
I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective.
When senators pressed Schwartz on whether she would maintain CDC independence from Kennedy's vaccine-skeptic agenda, she repeatedly declined to commit to opposing specific actions. Her response, as reported by multiple outlets: "I don't speak in hypotheticals."
The hearing drew pointed commentary from a contributor post on the right-leaning financial site ZeroHedge, where independent journalist Benjamin Bartee characterized Schwartz's mRNA affirmation as "a deranged lie ripped straight from Biden's teleprompter." The post framed senators' questioning as a demand for "full-throated, no-holds-barred support for the entire vaccine schedule" — a characterization that goes beyond mainstream coverage, which described vigorous questioning rather than an explicit demand for unconditional endorsement.
How much daylight the nominee will keep from Kennedy remains the question the hearing left unanswered.