A sweeping directive from the new Trump administration brings major changes to America's leading public health institutions.
According to Daily Mail, Donald Trump has ordered an immediate communications freeze at the CDC, FDA, NIH, and other federal health agencies, halting their external communications, including scientific reports, website updates, and health advisories.
The directive came through Stefanie Spear, a deputy chief of staff at HHS who previously served as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s press secretary during his presidential campaign. The pause affects multiple critical communication channels these agencies use to share vital public health information with medical professionals and the general public.
The communications blackout impacts several key functions of these federal health agencies. The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, clinical advisories sent through their health network, and data updates on their website have all been suspended. The National Center for Health Statistics has also been directed to pause releasing public health data, including information about drug overdose deaths.
The timing of this directive is particularly concerning for some health experts, as several important CDC reports were scheduled for release this week. Among them were three reports about the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has raised alarms in the scientific community.
While temporary pauses in external communications during administrative transitions are not unprecedented, the scope and lack of clarity around the duration of this freeze have sparked debate. The move comes after Trump criticized these agencies during his inaugural address, stating they "do not deliver in times of disaster."
As part of Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" pledge, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services. This appointment puts him in charge of overseeing all federal health agencies affected by the current communications freeze.
The CDC currently operates with an annual budget of $24.9 billion, while the FDA receives $8.4 billion and the NIH more than $47 billion in public funding each year. These substantial budgets underscore the significant scale of operations that will be under Kennedy's direction.
Each of these agencies plays a crucial role in public health. The CDC typically publishes around 50 peer-reviewed articles weekly, while the FDA initiates over 500 food recalls annually. The current pause affects all these routine communications.
Dr. Lucky Tran, a Democrat-leaning science communicator at Columbia University, has expressed strong opposition to the directive, characterizing it as the beginning of censorship. This sentiment has been echoed by other health professionals worried about the implications of the freeze.
Jeff Jarvis, a retired professor of journalism at City University New York, stated his concerns about the directive's impact on public health information sharing. He suggested that officials in "sane and scientific states" should collaborate to report data independently.
Despite the widespread pause in communications, some routine functions appear to be continuing. The Daily Mail reported receiving its automated weekly FDA recall email at 8 AM ET, suggesting that certain automated systems remain operational during the freeze.
The communications freeze represents a significant shift in federal health agency operations under the new Trump administration. The directive affects the CDC, FDA, NIH, and other health agencies, pausing their ability to share critical public health information with medical professionals and the public. As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepares to lead these agencies under Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, questions remain about the duration of the communications freeze and its potential impact on public health information dissemination.
