Trump administration freezes health communications and posts
Donald Trump's administration has put a freeze on many US health agency communications through at least the end of the month, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.
Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the US Health and Human Services department (HHS), told agency staff leaders in the memo this week that an "immediate pause" had been ordered on communications including regulations, guidance, press releases, and social media posts, until they have been approved by a political appointee.
Agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are all subject to the directive.
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Officials did not respond to requests for comment on the pause, which was first reported by The Washington Post.
Four federal health officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to discuss the issue confirmed the communication pause to the AP.
Restoring 'hierarchy'
A former HHS official said on Wednesday that it’s not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for review.
But typically, officials working on the president’s transition team have the process for issuing documents running smoothly by inauguration day.
"The executive branch is a hierarchy," said Steven Grossman, who now consults for food and drug companies, in an email.
"Whether stated publicly or not, every new administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams are in place and some semblance of hierarchy restored".
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A pause is reasonable as a changing executive branch takes steps to become coordinated, said Dr Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.
"The only concern would be is if this is a prelude to going back to a prior approach of silencing the agencies around a political narrative," he added.
Fink wrote in her memo that some exceptions would be made for communications affecting “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or nation security functions,” but that those would be subject to review.
'Every second counts'
A consumer advocacy group said the communications pause could still threaten public safety.
Americans depend on timely information from the CDC, the FDA, and other agencies to avoid foodborne illnesses and stay aware of other health issues, said Dr Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
"When it comes to stopping outbreaks, every second counts," Lurie said in a statement.
"Confusion around the vaguely worded gag order is likely to lead to unnecessary delay in publishing urgent public alerts during active outbreaks".
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He was echoed by Dr Jeffrey Klausner, a University of Southern California public health expert.
"Local health officials and doctors depend on the CDC to get disease updates, timely prevention, testing and treatment guidelines and information about outbreaks," Klausner wrote in an email.
"Shutting down public health communication stops a basic function of public health. Imagine if the government turned off fire sirens or other warning systems".
