Trump Administration Pauses Food Guidance and Health Updates Across Federal Agencies

Dr. Dorothy Fink, the acting secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services under  President Donald Trump, has instructed the heads of every federal health agency to stop public communication, The Washington Post reported. 

According to NBC News, Fink sent a memo to leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health to “refrain from publicly issuing any document” or communication. This, Fink added, could include any updates to regulations, social media posts, and any press releases “until it has been reviewed and approved by a Presidential appointee.”

Here’s what you need to know — and when you can expect regular communication to return. 

Which communications and messaging are on pause? 

CNN explained that Fink’s memo directed health agency employees not to participate in public speaking events without approval and to have all documents, “including regulations, guidance, notices, social media, websites, and press releases,” reviewed for approval directly by a presidential appointee before being issued. 

“As the new Administration considers its plan for managing the federal policy and public communications processes, it is important that the President’s appointees and designees have the opportunity to review and approve any regulations, guidance documents, and other public documents and communications (including social media),” Fink wrote.

However, the memo also noted that some communication may be exempt, including any critical health or safety information, as it may be illegal to withhold that information. CNN noted that the FDA sent out a safety warning on a multiple sclerosis drug on Wednesday, showing the system appears to still be working. 

Is this normal? 

An official from the Department of Health and Human Services told NBC that the same communications pause happened when Trump took office during his first term. “We’re holding for the new team to come in and set guidance,” the HHS official said, “but we’ve had little instruction.”

The official added that this pause shouldn’t alarm you — for now — as short pauses between new administrations are indeed normal. 

“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now as this transition occurs,” a CDC official additionally told NBC, but again noted, this pause is not “totally out of the ordinary.” 

When can we expect communications to return? 

According to Fink’s memo, the pause is expected to lift on February 1. 

So should I worry?

You can take a breath for this very second. But if it continues beyond February 1, well, then yeah, worry, because these agencies are vital for our health and safety, especially at a time when widespread bird flu is posing a potential threat to human health. 

“Not a day goes by when CDC isn’t tracking a potential threat to our health,” Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC, said in a statement with CNN.

“Right now they are letting us know about bird flu in cows, birds, and people. Every time there is an outbreak involving a food, they let us know how to avoid getting sick,” Besser added. “They let us know where diseases are occurring around the world that could affect our health here or if we travel. Cutting off communications from CDC puts our health at risk and prevents our doctors, nurses, and public health leaders in our communities from doing their jobs. I urge the administration to quickly lift the pause.”

The CDC is expected to release new reports about the state of bird flu on January 23. So stay tuned to see if they do.