The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't had a Senate confirmed director since last summer, and that official was in the job for less than a month.
Analysis & Context
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't had a Senate confirmed director since last summer, and that official was in the job for less than a month. NIH's Jay Bhattacharya will also serve as acting CDC director. Stay informed with the latest developments and expert analysis on this important story.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't had a Senate confirmed director since last summer, and that official was in the job for less than a month.
Politics NIH's Jay Bhattacharya will also serve as acting CDC director By Michael Kaplan, Michael Kaplan Reporter and Producer Michael Kaplan is an award-winning reporter and producer for the CBS News investigative unit. He specializes in securing scoops and crafting long-form television investigations. His work has appeared on "60 Minutes," CNN and in The New York Times. Read Full Bio Michael Kaplan, Kathryn Watson, Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson, Olivia Rinaldi, Olivia Rinaldi White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi is a White House reporter at CBS News. She covered President Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and was previously an associate producer for "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell" and a broadcast associate for "Face the Nation." She is based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Olivia Rinaldi, Sara Kuzmarov February 18, 2026 / 5:51 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will serve temporarily as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until President Trump selects a permanent CDC director, two administration officials told CBS News. He will remain in his role as NIH director. The move, first reported by The New York Times, is the latest in a period of turmoil for federal health agency leadership. The CDC has been led by an acting director, Jim O'Neill, who was appointed in August. He replaced Senate-confirmed CDC Director Susan Monarez, who was ousted after less than one month in the role. Bhattacharya gained his reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic as a vocal critic of the CDC's response. Deeply opposed to lockdowns and highly skeptical of the effectiveness of masking, Bhattacharya, then a Stanford Medical School professor, took to writing and speaking out on social media. The CDC last month scaled back the recommended number of childhood vaccines, sparking alarm from pediatricians and public health experts who worry diseases that have been tamed by scientific advances may roar back with a vengeance. Bhattacharya told Congress earlier this month that people should get vaccinated against measles, amid the largest outbreak in the U.S. in decades, and said he hasn't seen evidence that vaccines cause autism, even as the president and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have added fuel to that theory. "I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism," Bhattacharya told a Senate panel. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Trump Administration National Institutes of Health © 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
