Trump Administration's Alleged Ban on Certain Words Extend Beyond the CDC, Reports Say
Donald Trump's administration is reportedly prohibiting policymakers in a top U.S. health agency from using several words or phrases in official documents that support next year's budget planning. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refutes these reports, new ones have come up saying that the ban extends beyond the agency.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were allegedly barred from using the terms "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based" on Thursday, Dec. 14, according to the story by the Washington Post.
Analysts were allegedly given alternative wordings that they were encouraged to use, in some cases. Instead of "science-based," in one example, the suggested revision is to say that the agency recommends "based on science in consideration with community standards and wishes."
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Another agency under the Department of Health and Human Services were likewise reportedly given guidelines regarding their use of certain words or phrases. Officials at another agency were allegedly discouraged from using "entitlement," "diversity" and "vulnerable," according to the Business Insider.
A former federal official offered an explanation, saying that the move is not about censorship. Instead, it's more about a budget formulation tactic to get them the funding, according to him as quoted by the New York Times.
The CDC, however, is pushing back against the report. Agency director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald took to social media on Sunday, Dec. 17, to air their side.
"You may be understandably concerned about recent media reports alleging that CDC is banned from using certain words in budget documents. I want to assure you that CDC remains committed to our public health mission as a science- and evidence-based institution," she explained via a Facebook post on the official CDC account.
Dr. Fitzgerald also posted an excerpt of her explanation on Twitter on the same day.
