The Trump administration reportedly told agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to avoid using certain words or phrases in official documents being drafted for next year’s budget.
A spokesperson for the HHS, however, has denied this and said it was taken out of context, according to The Hill.
But one of the agencies, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was allegedly given a list of seven prohibited words or phrases, the Washington Post reported over Friday and Saturday.
Those words were: ‘vulnerable,’ ‘entitlement,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘transgender,’ ‘fetus,’ ‘evidence-based’ and ‘science-based.”
The Trump administration reportedly told agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to avoid using certain words or phrases in official documents being drafted for next year’s budget; A spokesperson from the HHS disputes this
Officials at a second agency were also reportedly told to use ‘Obamacare’ instead of the Affordable Care Act to describe President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law and to use ‘exchanges’ instead of ‘marketplaces’ in reference to venues where people can buy federally subsidized health insurance.
State Department documents also now refer to sex education as ‘sexual risk avoidance.’
US Representative for Calif. Nancy Pelosi, who is Democratic Minority Leader of the House, reacted to the news of allegedly banned words on social media Saturday,.
‘DANGER!’ she wrote, ‘The Trump Admin is going further down a dangerous and un-American path of word and thought control.’
She added that the president ‘has no respect for’ the words, specifically citing the following: ‘vulnerable,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘transgender,’ ‘evidence-based’ and ‘science-based.’
President Donald Trump, seen here in Washington, DC on Saturday, has not publicly responded to news reports alleging banned words
The words were: ‘vulnerable,’ ‘entitlement,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘transgender,’ ‘fetus,’ ‘evidence-based’ and ‘science-based;’ Trump is seen here at the White House in Washington, DC on Friday
Kaivan Shroff, who was previously in charge of digital organizing for former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, commented on how this alleged ban is a hypocritical infringement on freedom of speech.
‘Keep this in mind next time the Administration uses “free speech” as an excuse to defend Nazis,’ Shroff tweeted on Saturday, also spelling out each of the seven allegedly banned words and including the hashtag ‘#CDC7words.’
Matt Lloyd, the spokesperson for the HHS, refuted the Post’s reporting; Trump is seen here in Washington, DC on Saturday
‘The assertion that HHS has “banned words” is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,’ Matt Lloyd, spokesperson for the HHS told The Hill
A briefing at the second HHS agency reportedly relied on a document from the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees President Donald Trump’s annual budget proposal to Congress
But Matt Lloyd, the spokesperson for the HHS, refuted the Post’s reporting.
‘The assertion that HHS has “banned words” is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,’ Lloyd said.
‘HHS will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans. HHS also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions,’ the statement continued.
A briefing at the second HHS agency reportedly relied on a document from the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees President Donald Trump’s annual budget proposal to Congress.
‘The assertion that HHS has “banned words” is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,’ said Matt Lloyd, the spokesperson for the HHS, in a statement obtained by The Hill.
No explanations were given for the language changes, as reported by the Post.
No explanations were given for the language changes, as reported by the Post