National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Bhattacharya will take on the role of acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director.

The move comes after the previous acting director, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, left the department last week.

Why it’s important:

Splitting Bhattacharya’s attention between two large agencies could contribute to a lack of leadership at the agencies.
The lack of a full-time director does not impede CDC’s day-to-day functioning in many respects. But certain decisions will consequently land with HHS Secretary Kennedy and the political appointees largely steering CDC.
CDC has been weakened and targeted by the administration, and the lack of a full-time director may prevent it from acquiring authority within the administration.

The broader context: It is increasingly possible that the 28 days Susan Monarez served as CDC director last summer could be the only period in this administration when the agency has a Senate-confirmed, full-time director.

It is unclear whether the administration will nominate another person to serve as CDC director, but the chances of getting someone through a Senate confirmation process are slim. It would be difficult to find someone that could earn Senate approval that HHS Secretary Kennedy would be willing to see in the job.
But: Positions requiring Senate confirmation can only be filled on an acting basis for 210 days. In this case, the deadline is March 25. But an acting director can stay in place while the Senate considers a new nomination, if the administration were to nominate someone.