Nearly all scientific communications from federal health agencies — including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — have been shut down until further notice thanks to multiple directives from the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump’s acting secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Dorothy Fink, asked the heads of all federal health agencies in a memo Tuesday to temporarily halt public messaging, pending a review .
NBC News obtained a copy of the memo, which advises leaders of the CDC, NIH and Food and Drug Administration to “refrain from publicly releasing any document” or communication, including regulations and press releases, “until it has been reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee. »
The memo left room for the release of communications that could be considered a matter of essential health and safety.
On Wednesday evening, the NIH responded in a statement: “HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or essential to the preservation of health. “This is a short pause to allow the new team to establish a review and prioritization process.”
The pause took effect immediately and will last until February 1.
Communications teams from federal health agencies, including the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services, learned of the pause during a call Tuesday.
“There is a lot of uncertainty right now as this transition happens,” a CDC official said, adding that it is not “totally out of the ordinary” during transitions.
An HHS official said the same thing happened during Trump’s first term.
A A short pause in messaging is not uncommon As new administrations get up to speed. The HHS official noted that a small break is not a cause for concern, but it could be a problem if it lasts a week or more.
“We are keen for the new team to come and for guidance,” the HHS official said, “but we have had little guidance.”
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The delay could include Several reports on bird flu which was to be released Thursday by the CDC, an official said. This potential reporting gap occurs during a decomposition of bird flualso called H5N1.
And a press official for the CDC declined to answer questions about whether the agency’s seasonal flu report, due out Friday, will be released.
Instead, the press official deferred questions to HHS, which did not respond to requests for comment.
Similar requests sent to the CDC and FDA went unanswered.
On Wednesday, NIH employees received an email saying all government travel is suspended until further notice “In accordance with guidance from HHS.”
“Personnel currently on official government travel may complete their trip, as long as they do not show up, but must return to their original departure point,” read the email, which was shared with NBC News. “Future requests for any reason are not permitted.”
Also on Wednesday, some scientists on social networks posted frustrations that the NIH had stopped approving the money for research grants through its review groups, called study sections. It is unclear whether this move is part of the HHS communications pause.
Without grants, scientists can’t start new research, from asthma and pediatric cancer to Covid and Ebola. THE NIH awards more than 60,000 grants Every year, supporting at least 300,000 researchers.
The NIH did not immediately respond to questions about research grant funding.
THE The Washington Post first reported the pause in public communications Tuesday.