U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, alongside Senators Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and 31 other lawmakers, has urged Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink to end the freeze on external communications and funding at health agencies. This action comes after an order last month from Acting Secretary Fink paused the issuance of documents and public communications until approval by a presidential appointee.
The senators highlighted that this freeze has disrupted clinical trials, hindered interactions between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and patient groups, and delayed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The MMWR delay is notable as it is a critical source for public health updates in the U.S., experiencing its first disruption in over six decades.
In their letter to Secretary Fink, the senators expressed concern about the Administration’s decision, stating: “The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.”
They further stated: “This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable.” They stressed the importance of HHS agencies in providing accurate information about disease outbreaks and medical research.
Other signatories include Senators Tammy Baldwin, Richard Blumenthal, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Cory Booker, Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maggie Hassan, Martin Heinrich, Tim Kaine, Andy Kim, Angus King, Ben Ray Luján, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray, Alex Padilla, Gary Peters, Jack Reed, Jacky Rosen, Brian Schatz, Adam Schiff Jeanne Shaheen Elissa Slotkin Chris Van Hollen Mark Warner Reverend Raphael Warnock Elizabeth Warren Peter Welch Ron Wyden
On January 22nd all 13 HHS operating divisions were instructed to "pause" all external communications and grant disbursements until February 1st without a clear plan for resumption. While some exceptions exist for critical concerns related to health or national security this directive has significantly impacted essential functions within public health and biomedical research sectors.
Particularly affected was CDC’s MMWR which was delayed limiting reporting on emerging infectious diseases such as H5N1 bird flu. The NIH also faced disruptions with new clinical trials being delayed alongside peer-review grant processes creating uncertainty regarding federal research fund allocations.
The freeze has further impeded NIH’s engagement with patient groups affecting recruitment for ongoing clinical trials thereby impacting patients with rare diseases cancer or other serious conditions who rely on these trials for treatment options.
Asserting that no previous administration transition had implemented such a widespread freeze they called upon Secretary Fink to provide detailed responses by February 10th regarding postponed scientific reports communication resumptions impacts on departmental responsiveness during virus season among other inquiries stressing the urgency of reversing this decision immediately given its implications on public health safety standards across America today
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