Trump administration puts freeze on release of health info from government agencies

President Donald Trump’s administration has placed a freeze on information being released from government health agencies.

According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the “immediate pause” applies to information released as regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts, and website posts because the newly elected administration wants all such information to be reviewed by one of their appointees.

The freeze also affects anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, as well as the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.

Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders in the memo that the pause is expected to be in effect through Feb. 1, 2025, and agencies subject to the directive include the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fink added that some exceptions would be made for communications affecting “critical health, safety, environmental, financial, or national security functions.”

A former HHS official said Wednesday it is not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for review; however, it is usually handled by the president’s transition team and information flow is running smoothly by inauguration day.

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