Experts say it’s common to wait until new teams are in place, but that’s a concern if it means “returning to a previous approach of silencing agencies.”
ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump’s administration has frozen many communications from U.S. health agencies at least until the end of the month, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.
Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told agency staff leaders in the memo this week that an “immediate pause” had been ordered in communications, including including regulations, guidance, press releases and social media posts. until they have been approved by a political person.
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.
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 were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed the communications break to the AP.
Restore the “hierarchy”
A former HHS official said Wednesday that it’s not unusual for new administrations to suspend agency communications for review.
But generally, officials working within the president’s transition team ensure that the document issuance process goes smoothly on Inauguration Day.
“The executive branch is a hierarchy,” Steven Grossman, who now consults for food and drug companies, said in an email.
“Whether publicly stated or not, every new administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams are in place and some semblance of hierarchy is restored.”
A pause is reasonable as a changing executive branch takes steps to coordinate, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator and now dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health .
“The only concern would be whether this is a prelude to a return to an earlier approach of silencing agencies around a political narrative,” he added.
Fink wrote in his memo that some exceptions would be made for communications affecting “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or national security functions” but that these 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, FDA and other agencies to avoid foodborne illness and stay informed about 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.
ADVERTISEMENT“Confusion around the vaguely worded silence order is likely to lead to unnecessary delays in issuing urgent public alerts during active outbreaks.”
It was echoed by Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a public health expert from the University of Southern California.
“Local health officials and physicians depend on the CDC for disease updates, timely prevention, testing and treatment guidelines, and information about outbreaks,” Klausner wrote in an email.
“Closing public health communications ends a fundamental public health function. Imagine if the government turned off fire sirens or other warning systems.”
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