02/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/19/2026 13:45
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released the following statement praising the Trump administration's decision to appoint Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as acting director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention."When I was Governor, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya consulted while we developed Nebraska's highly successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He showed great intellectual honesty and courage when he offered alternative suggestions about how to handle the pandemic. Dr. Bhattacharya demonstrated the importance of holistic, risk-based, and scientific thinking. He will do excellent work as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."