WASHINGTON — Amid a deluge of executive actions, the Trump administration has directed federal health agencies to pause external communications, such as regular scientific reports, updates to websites and health advisories, according to sources within the agencies.
The initial orders were delivered Tuesday to staff at agencies inside the US Department of Health and Human Services, including to officials at the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the story.
The direction came without warning and with little guidance as to what exactly it covered, according to sources inside the affected agencies who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to share the information.
In a follow-up memo obtained by CNN on Wednesday, Acting Health Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink provided additional details, including that the directive would be in effect through February 1.
The memo told health agency employees to have all documents and communications - including regulations, guidance, notices, social media, websites and press releases - reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee before issuing them. It also directed employees not to participate in any public speaking engagements without approval, and to coordinate with presidential appointees before issuing official correspondence to members of Congress or governors.
“As the new Administration considers its plan for managing the federal policy and public communications processes, it is important that the President’s appointees and designees have the opportunity to review and approve any regulations, guidance documents, and other public documents and communications (including social media),” Fink said in the memo.
The directive also told employees to notify higher-ups of any documents or communications that should be exempt either because they’re required by law or because they’re critical for health, safety or other reasons. Already Wednesday morning, the FDA sent out a communication about a safety warning added to the multiple sclerosis drug glatiramer acetate, which goes by brand names including Copaxone, for a “rare but serious allergic reaction.”
A source familiar with the directive said that while it wasn’t entirely unheard of for an incoming administration to ask for a pause to review information before it’s publicly released, the scope of the order appeared to be unusual. Another said there were no similar restrictions on communications issued at the beginning of the last two administrations, and said employees were fearful about their jobs.
America’s health agencies, including the CDC, FDA and the NIH, routinely release information on food recalls, drug and medical device approvals, as well as updates on evolving public health threats including natural disasters and infectious diseases. Many of the agencies have been closely tracking and reporting new information on the H5N1 bird flu outbreak, which is spreading in the nation’s poultry flocks and dairy cattle and among people who work with those animals.
“Not a day goes by when CDC isn’t tracking a potential threat to our health,” Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC said in a statement. “Right now they are letting us know about bird flu in cows, birds, and people. Every time there is an outbreak involving a food, they let us know how to avoid getting sick. They let us know where diseases are occurring around the world that could affect our health here or if we travel. Cutting off communications from CDC puts our health at risk and prevents our doctors, nurses, and public health leaders in our communities from doing their jobs. I urge the administration to quickly lift the pause.”
During Trump’s first administration, a federal health official said political appointees pushed to change language of weekly science reports released by the CDC during the Covid-19 pandemic so they wouldn’t undermine the president’s political messaging.
The first direction Tuesday was given by Stefanie Spear, a deputy chief of staff at HHS who joined the agency this week, according to the Post. Spear was the press secretary for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential campaign. Kennedy is Trump’s pick for HHS secretary but must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming the role.
A message sent to Spear on Tuesday evening about the order was not returned. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
A spokesperson for the CDC and a spokesperson for the FDA referred CNN to HHS for comment. HHS has not responded 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, who is president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit that studies and seeks to support the nation’s public health workforce.
“The question is how extensively is that pause enforced? If there is something that requires immediate action, it needs to be communicated because lapsed time means lost lives.”
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