CNN
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Amid a barrage of executive actions, the Trump administration has asked federal health agencies to take a pause. external communications, such as regular scientific reports, website updates and health advisories, according to sources within the agencies.
The orders were delivered Tuesday to staff at agencies across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, according to the Washington Post. who was the first to report the story.
The instruction came without warning and with little guidance as to what exactly it covered, according to sources within the agencies involved who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to share the information. . A source said the reason for the break and its duration had not been communicated.
A source familiar with the directive said that while it was not entirely uncommon for a new administration to request a pause to review information before it was made public, the scope of the order seemed unusual.
U.S. health agencies, including the CDC, FDA, and NIH, regularly release information on food recalls, drug and medical device approvals, and updates on evolving threats to health. public health, including natural disasters and infectious diseases. Many agencies have been closely monitoring and reporting new information on the H5N1 avian flu outbreak, which is spreading among the nation’s poultry flocks and dairy cattle and among people who work with these animals.
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The direction was given by Stefanie Spear, HHS deputy chief of staff who joined the agency this week, according to the Post. Spear was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s press secretary during his 2024 presidential campaign. Kennedy is Trump’s choice for HHS secretary, but must be confirmed by the Senate before taking on the role.
CNN has contacted the White House for comment. A message sent to Spear Tuesday evening about the order was not immediately returned. A CDC spokesperson and an FDA spokesperson referred CNN to HHS for comment. HHS did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
“A temporary pause in the flow of health information should not be cause for concern,” said Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit organization that studies and seeks to support the public health personnel in the country.
“The question is, to what extent is this pause enforced? If there is something that requires immediate action, it must be communicated because time running out means lives lost.
