Federal health agencies have paused public communications this week and canceled meetings as the Trump administration assesses how to manage messaging.
A senior official with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday instructed agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to temporarily halt public messaging including advisories, scientific reports, website updates and social media posts.
Dorothy Fink, who was appointed as President Donald Trump’s acting secretary for HHS, said in a memo to health agency leaders that the pause will last until Feb. 1.
In the memo, obtained by USA TODAY, Fink told agency leaders that documents and communications should not be shared until they have been been “reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee.”
The communications pause, first reported by the Washington Post, has extended to advisory boards that routinely meet to discuss emerging public health threats. For example, an advisory council for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria canceled a meeting scheduled Jan. 28 and 29, according to a notice.
In a statement, a CDC spokesperson said HHS issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances “not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health.”
“This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization,” the statement said. “There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.”
Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said timely public communication from the CDC and other public health agencies is critically important.
Besser said the CDC communicates important messages on how to help Americans avoid getting sick. Right now, among other activities, the agency is closely tracking bird flu in cows, birds and humans. The agency also tracks foodborne illnesses and informs the public about health threats overseas that that could spread to the U.S. or harm travelers.
Besser, who served as acting director of the CDC in 2009 during the initial months of President Barack Obama’s first term, said it’s not unusual for a new administration to centralize communications. These appointees are in charge of policy decisions and need time to familiarize themselves with an agency, Besser said.
But Besser said halting communications altogether puts Americans health at risk and prevents doctors, nurses, and public health leaders from doing their jobs.
“The business of science needs to proceed unimpeded and should be separate from whatever administration is in office,” Besser told USA TODAY. “The policies that come out of that science are what could potentially change, but the science itself needs to be viewed as independent and not under the influence of politics.”
HHS oversees 13 operating divisions, including the FDA, CDC, CMS and the National Institutes of Health, as well as more than one dozen offices. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead HHS, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 29 for a confirmation hearing.
In the meantime, state and city health departments are worried about how the communications pause might affect their communities.
Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, said the pause could delay updates on the number of flu cases and other seasonal viruses that circulate during winter.
“Depending on how it plays out, it does threaten how critical health information reaches people making decisions in communities across the country,” Juliano said.
