The White House is indefinitely postponing its selection of a permanent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, leaving acting head Jay Bhattacharya overseeing the agency past a key deadline.
Why it matters: The punt underscores the difficulty of finding a nominee who can be confirmed by the Senate and leaves the beleaguered public health agency without a full-time political leader.
What they're saying: "Dr. Bhattacharya will continue to oversee the CDC by performing the delegable duties of the CDC director," Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon said.
- "Secretary Kennedy and [HHS chief counselor] Chris Klomp are working with the White House on the CDC director search by evaluating candidates that can further the Trump administration's objective of restoring the CDC to its original mission of fighting infectious disease," he added.
Between the lines: The administration faced a Thursday statutory deadline for Bhattacharya to continue serving as acting CDC head without nominating a permanent replacement.
- However, Bhattacharya, who also is director of the National Institutes of Health, will continue performing duties connected with the CDC post without officially holding it.
The big picture: The opening gives the administration a chance to continue pivoting away from controversial policies on vaccines ahead of the midterm elections.
- However, there is a balancing act in the need to find someone who can work with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and isn't entirely objectionable to his "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
- NOTUS reported on Wednesday that Bhattacharya told agency staff during an internal Q&A session that he has had "scientific" disagreements with Kennedy.
- The Washington Post first reported the pick would be delayed.
