White House Further Delays Permanent CDC Director Nomination as Acting Chief Bhattacharya Vows to Stay On
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The White House has further delayed naming a permanent CDC director, with West Wing advisers reportedly worried a bruising confirmation fight over vaccines and COVID policy could hurt Republicans in the midterms and some potential candidates privately balking amid Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial vaccine stance and low agency morale. Acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya told staff an appointment could come soon but vowed to stay on beyond his formal acting term until a permanent director is in place, saying operations should see little near‑term change while addressing staff concerns about recent job losses, many senior roles being held by "acting" officials and fears over Schedule F.