Trump Administration Halts Communications at FDA, CDC, NIH, and HHS

Jan 22, 2025, 10:48 AM

The Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to pause all external communications. This directive, reported by the Washington Post, includes halting health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites, and social media posts. The order was issued by Stefanie Spear, a deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who recently joined the agency after serving as press secretary for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 2024 presidential campaign. The reason for the pause and its expected duration were not communicated to the agencies, causing uncertainty about the impact on urgent public health information, such as food recalls and updates on infectious disease outbreaks like the H5N1 bird flu.