FDA, CDC Ordered to Temporarily Pause All External Communications, Obtain Trump Admin Approval
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Delivered on Tuesday, January 21, the day after President Trump was inaugurated, federal public health agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received orders from the new administration to pause all external communications until further notice. Affected organizations include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which together are responsible for ensuring the safety of most of the U.S. food supply and responding to foodborne illness outbreaks.
According to a memo obtained by CNN and issued by Acting Secretary of HHS, Dorothy Fink, M.D., the directive will be in effect until February 1, 2025. The memo told HHS agency employees that all external documents and communications—including regulations, guidance, notices, social media, website updates, and press releases—must be reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee before issuing them. Additionally, HHS employees are not allowed to participate in public speaking engagements without approval.
HHS agency employees must also coordinate with presidential appointees before issuing correspondence to members of Congress or governors.
By first notifying superiors, the directive allows for exemption of documents or communications that are required to be issued by law or because they are critical to protecting health or safety.Update, February 3, 2025: The communications pause has not yet been lifted at FDA.
Update, February 10, 2025: Select communications are now coming out of FDA's Human Foods Program, such as Outbreak Investigations and Safety Advisories, but there has not been any resumption in communications from CDC yet.
Update, February 26, 2025: Limited communications have resumed from CDC, such as a recent investigation update about an ongoing listeriosis outbreak.
Update, February 28, 2025: A letter signed by 85 members of Congress has been sent to President Trump, expressing concerns about the communications freeze ordered for public health agencies, especially in light of the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) outbreak.
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