The White House has delayed nominating a new CDC director , allowing Jay Bhattacharya, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health, to continue leading the agency past the March 26 deadline, The Washington Post reported March 25.
Dr. Bhattacharya has served as acting CDC director since Feb. 18. Although he will no longer hold that title due to federal rules, he will retain authority over the agency’s delegable duties, an HHS spokesperson told the Post.
The CDC has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since August. The Trump administration withdrew a previous nominee in March 2025 and dismissed its most recent permanent director in August after less than a month in the role.
The prolonged leadership vacuum has raised concerns among public health experts and healthcare executives. Dr. Bhattacharya, a physician and medical economist, has no formal public health training and is concurrently serving the NIH and CDC from separate locations.
The CDC defended the dual role, saying Dr. Bhattacharya has empowered NIH leadership to maintain operations and will work closely with the CDC’s executive team to ensure continuity until a permanent director is confirmed.
The $9 billion agency is facing mounting challenges, including a growing measles outbreak, staff attrition and legal uncertainty over recent changes to its vaccine advisory structure. About half a dozen individuals are under consideration for the role, including Ernie Fletcher, MD, a former Kentucky governor; Joseph Marine, MD, a cardiologist with Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine; and Daniel Edney, MD, Mississippi’s state health officer.
Whoever is nominated must be confirmed by the Senate, a new requirement as of 2025.
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