Bill Cassidy is set to decide Thursday whether Erica Schwartz advances from the Senate Health Committee, a pivotal test for Trump’s third nominee to lead the CDC.
Every Republican vote may be needed if Democrats oppose her unanimously, making Cassidy’s position critical after he declined to say how he would vote.
Last week’s hearing appeared to shake Cassidy’s earlier support when Schwartz would not say clearly whether she would resist Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if asked to act against scientific evidence.
The stakes reach beyond one nomination: Schwartz’s predecessor was fired in a vaccine dispute, an earlier Trump pick lacked committee votes, and the CDC has remained without permanent leadership as measles, Ebola and cyclospora outbreaks grow.