White House delays picking CDC director despite deadlineKey takeaways:Jay Bhattacharya’s appointment as acting CDC director was set to expire under federal law. The White House confirmed that Bhattacharya will continue to lead the agency until a nominee is announced. The White House did not nominate a new CDC director on Wednesday despite coming up against a federally imposed deadline to do so. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Healio that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, will continue to perform the duties of acting CDC director until a permanent replacement is selected. The White House did not nominate a new CDC director on Wednesday despite coming up against a federally imposed deadline to do so.

Source: Washington Post March 25, 2026 23:18 UTC