The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) voted to advance Susan Monarez's nomination as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday. The panel voted along party lines 12-11.

If confirmed by the full Senate, Monarez would be the first CDC director to go through Senate confirmation, a process put into place in 2023. Monarez, 50, was named acting CDC director in January after former nominee Dr. David Weldon was withdrawn. She was nominated in March by President Donald Trump.

She holds a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin, and a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University.