Skip to main content

Trump Administration Puts Freeze on Release of Health Info From Government Agencies

By Stephanie Brown HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 25, 2025.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2025 -- President Donald Trump's administration has placed a freeze on information being released from government health agencies.

According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, the "immediate pause" applies to information released as regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts, and website posts because the newly elected administration wants all such information to be reviewed by one of their appointees.

The freeze also affects anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, as well as the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.

Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders in the memo that the pause is expected to be in effect through Feb. 1, 2025, and agencies subject to the directive include the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fink added that some exceptions would be made for communications affecting "critical health, safety, environmental, financial, or national security functions."

A former HHS official said Wednesday it is not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for review; however, it is usually handled by the president's transition team and information flow is running smoothly by inauguration day.

Associated Press Article

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Lab Experiments Show Why Wrinkles Form

THURSDAY, July 24, 2025 — The struggle to tame wrinkles is an age-old conflict, with people using any number of lotions, creams and treatments to try and smooth their...

FDA Picks George Tidmarsh to Head Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has appointed George Francis Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D., as director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research...

Tuna Recalled in Seven States Over Listeria Fears

WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 — Two types of tuna sold in seven states are being recalled due to listeria concerns. The first recall affects tuna salad and...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.