At HELP Hearing, Murray Grills Nominees on Rapidly Growing Cyclosporiasis Outbreak, Research Funding, Commitment to Following Scientific Evidence

***WATCH: Senator Murray's full questioning***

Washington, D.C. - Today-at a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing to consider pending nominations-U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the HELP committee, questioned Trump's nominees Sean Kaufman, to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. Erica Schwartz, to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the quickly growing cyclosporiasis outbreak, the administration's reckless decision to cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine research, and their commitment to following scientific evidence when making public health recommendations.

[CYCLOSPORIASIS OUTBREAK]

Senator Murray began by addressing the cyclosporiasis outbreak that has rapidly grown after Trump and the CDC eliminated mandatory reporting of the parasite last year.

MURRAY: Dr. Schwartz, I want to start with you, do you think it is the role of the federal government to be tracking outbreaks like Cyclosporiasis?

SCHWARTZ: Senator, thank you for scheduling and meeting with me and I hope to have a very productive conversation with you next week. I absolutely believe that one of the core missions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is tracking outbreaks domestically and also internationally.

MURRAY: Well, I absolutely do think it is part of the critical role of it. And for everybody back home, and I think everybody is starting to realize there is a parasite spreading today, likely through some types of fresh produce, and it is sending people to the hospital with which doctors are calling explosive diarrhea. And here's the thing, the CDC used to conduct surveillance on this very infection through a program called FoodNet. But in July 2025, thanks to Trump, CDC made reporting on that illness optional. Now, we are here a year later, and we are already seeing over 7,000 confirmed or under investigation cases, and over 100 hospitalizations with no single cause having yet been identified. And those numbers are growing every day.

So, Dr. Schwartz, you're a physician, you're a public health expert. Is there any scientific or medical justification for CDC having eliminated mandatory reporting of this parasite?

SCHWARTZ: Senator, this is the first I have heard of that. Cyclosporiasis is a terrible, terrible disease. As you mentioned, watery, explosive diarrhea. Something you would not want anyone to experience.

MURRAY: So, you were not aware that this was cancelled a year ago?

SCHWARTZ: Senator I was not aware of that.

MURRAY: Okay, if you are confirmed do you commit to reinstating the required reporting for cyclosporiasis?

SCHWARTZ: You have my commitment to work with your staff and work with the CDC scientists to understand what can be done, why did it stop, and what we can do moving forward.

MURRAY: Okay, it is the job of our public health agencies to catch outbreaks like this and to take action. And it is hard to do when you have removed the reporting requirement, or fired expert staff, or undermined trust and public health. So, for the record, to me RFK Jr. and Trump's war on the CDC is now landing people in the hospital. Outbreaks happen, but we shouldn't need thousands of people to get severely ill before we reinstate programs and systems that were haphazardly cancelled. So, I want you to follow up even when you're confirmed.

[mRNA TECHNOLOGY]

Senator Murray then questioned both Mr. Kaufman and Dr. Schwartz about RFK Jr.'s reckless decision to cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine research.

MURRAY: I'm a huge proponent for vaccine research, which is why I too, as Senator Hickenlooper just asked you about, Mr. Kaufman, about cancelling the $500 million in mRNA vaccine research through BARDA, which they prepare our country for any kind of future issues like we all know we have had now. And last August, they cancelled that, and we know the mRNA technology has grown tremendously and provides new opportunities for biomedical research.

You said you agreed with the secretary's decision to eliminate that. I am aware and Senator Hickenlooper is, I don't understand how you want more research, but cancelling it is ok. And I just want it to be on the record, you're fine with that being cancelled?

KAUFMAN: Senator Murphy, it is the type of research-I'm sorry, Senator Murray, my apologies. Senator, I think it's the type of research we're looking at. I do believe that going back and learning about what we can improve and why things work well and why things didn't is absolutely critical research but the research that was cancelled was actually investing in new technologies-

MURRAY: Right, so we would be able to be ready for the next Covid. And I think for all Americans, we don't want to live through it again. And I think we really need that kind of research.

Dr. Schwartz, you're here too, so same question. Do you agree with the Secretary's decision to cancel mRNA research funding?

SCHWARTZ: Senator, this is the first I'm actually hearing about this. As a private citizen I certainly was not following that. As we had discussed before, mRNA technology is safe and effective, and I definitely would like to know more about this topic.

MURRAY: Okay, I would like to ask you about that again. But, Mr. Kaufman, you've said that we need more research on people who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Well good news is CDC was doing just that. But then, in April, the CDC delayed and they ultimately blocked the release of a report that demonstrated that the COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective. And that study, which was eventually independently published in JAMA, showed a 50 percent decrease in hospitalization from that vaccine.

And just for the record, this is important to me, this type of political interference is really, deeply disturbing. It doesn't do anything to instill the trust, that you have talked about Dr. Schwartz in this committee, in our public health agencies.

[FOLLOWING TRUMP AND RFK JR.'S AGENDA]

Finally, Senator Murray asked Dr. Schwartz if she would blindly agree to RFK Jr.'s demands when it comes to vaccines or if she would consult the scientific evidence when making recommendations.

MURRAY: I just want to ask you Dr. Schwartz, this is critical and I know some of my colleagues have pointedly asked you this.

If you are confirmed as CDC Director and Secretary Kennedy asks you to commit in advance to approving every recommendation that ACIP makes in the future, regardless of scientific evidence, will you do that?

SCHWARTZ: Senator, the secretary would never ask me to do that it-

MURRAY: This is not hypothetical. As you have heard, this happened with Susan Monarez who was in and fired and came back here and actually told us she was outed because of her scientific integrity. So, this is not hypothetical, it is a critical answer. So, I would like to know, will you if you are confirmed, commit in advance to approving every recommendation that ACIP makes in the future, regardless of scientific evidence?

SCHWARTZ: You have my commitment senator…

MURRAY: If the secretary of health asks you not to, will you defy him and follow the advice of ACIP?

SCHWARTZ: I will follow the science wherever it leads Senator, you have my commitment on that.

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