Trump misses deadline for new CDC director nominee

The Trump administration has hit its legal limit for leaving the position of director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vacant after firing the sitting director last year.

Former CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired on Aug. 27 after officially serving in the role for less than a month. She has claimed that her termination was due to her refusal to grant carte blanche approval to the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel recommendations without first seeing the evidence.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 states that, apart from vacancies caused by sickness, acting officers may not serve in the role for more than 210 days. It has now been 211 days since Monarez’s termination.

Since Monarez’s ouster, there have been two acting CDC directors, Jim O’Neill and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya.

The White House on Thursday indicated plans to nominate someone soon but did not give a specific timeline.

“Restoring competence and confidence in CDC decision-making remains a top priority for the White House after the Biden administration’s COVID excesses. Dr. Jay Bahttacharya’s leadership at the CDC is a great service to the country and he has now been delegated to provide continuity in day-to-day CDC processes until the White House nominates a permanent CDC director in short order,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement.

Over the weekend, The Washington Post reported the White House had narrowed its pick to three potential nominees: former Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), Mississippi health director Daniel Edney and Johns Hopkins cardiologist Joseph Marine.

Finding a suitable CDC nominee will require finding an individual who can satisfy Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” goals while also allaying concerns members of Congress may have about their ability to lead the nation’s top infectious disease authority, during a time when measles is making a comeback and vaccine uptake is on the decline.