Trump orders the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and other health agencies to shut down

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will remain closed, along with other federal agencies under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This week, the returning Trump administration asked these agencies to stop speaking to the public — for how long, no one knows.

The Washington Post first reported news of Trump’s sweeping directives Late Tuesday evening. Staff at these agencies have reportedly been ordered to cease external communications for the time being. The move is the latest to have outside experts concerned about the direction of the nation’s public health infrastructure under Trump.

The order was delivered by Stephanie Speier, the newly appointed deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the newspaper. Speier was press secretary to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential campaign, and has since been nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Affected employees told the newspaper that the directive lacks specific details, including the reasons behind it, the expected duration of the pause, and whether there are any exceptions allowed.

Gizmodo reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment, but did not receive a response by press time.

It’s certainly possible that the White House is simply trying to ease the new health officials’ transition into their roles. This is not unprecedented action for the White House to take to make that happen, according to Carmen Marcette, executive associate dean at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

“It is not uncommon for a new administration to request a pause on communications, website updates, etc., so that the new leadership can review the information, understand how it is flowing, and then work to continue communications,” Marcette told Gizmodo. Email. At the same time, he added, the scope of this directive is currently unknown, as is its potential impact on the public.

Emerging disease outbreaks, new discoveries, and noteworthy drug approvals are just some of the many things that agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration regularly communicate to the general public and doctors. Research led by or conducted with the assistance of government scientists is also routinely published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), which has often served as an early look at important health trends and crises (the first report). . Reported cases What became known as HIV/AIDS, for example). According to the newspaper, CDC staff were planning to publish several reports in the MMWR this week, including three related to H5N1 — a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that has increasingly begun infecting livestock, other mammals and humans since last year.

Halting communications from federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration during the administration’s transition period is a major problem, especially with active threats to public health such as the H5N1 outbreak in the United States and the Marburg outbreak in Tanzania, according to Krutika Kuppali, It is a contagious disease. A Dallas physician with expertise in global health and pandemic preparedness.

“A blanket suspension of external communications from health agencies is unusual and potentially harmful,” Kubali told Gizmodo. “Trust in institutions like the CDC is built on transparency and reliability. A lack of communication may lead to suspicion or mistrust, making it more difficult to restore credibility when communication resumes.”

There is also prior history to consider, as the Trump White House has a track record of muzzling its federal agencies and scientists. In the early days of Trump’s first term, the administration similarly ordered several agencies, including the USDA, to temporarily remain quiet (much of this directive was ignored). It was quickly revised, but). Even more troubling is the Trump administration to forbid He banned health officials from communicating with the press and the public in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, while his staff He later reportedly tried To change reports issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the Corona virus, with the aim of reducing the damage of the epidemic.

The likely next leader of the Department of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr., has also made clear that he wants to dramatically change the direction of the nation’s public health agencies, and likely not for the better. RFK Jr. regularly makes false or misleading statements about… Vaccines and other health-related topicsFor example, it is a promise Suspend government-led research on infectious diseases if given the opportunity. Earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order Redo his plan Demand that the United States leave the World Health Organization, which has played a vital role in supporting global public health.

“CDC is collaborating with international partners to address global health challenges,” noted Kubali, who previously worked with the World Health Organization as a medical officer in the fight against COVID-19. “The planned withdrawal from the World Health Organization already has implications for the United States’ role in global health, but a communications freeze could further undermine the United States’ reputation as a public health leader.”

If this pause continues, it could be an early indicator that the CDC and other agencies will face new challenges from the Trump administration that could prevent them from communicating faithfully with the public. This is likely a very bad omen for the rest of us.

“While any administration has the right to align federal agencies with its vision and goals, public health must remain a nonpartisan priority,” Kubali said. “Ensuring continuity of communication from agencies such as the CDC, FDA, and NIH during transition periods is not only prudent, but essential to protect the health and well-being of the public.”