Federal agencies recently removed specific public health data in response to an executive order on gender classification. At the same time, new tariffs on imports from China are set to take effect Feb. 4, while Mexico and Canada have reached a deal to delay implementation, raising discussions on their potential effects on the healthcare supply chain, according to reports from The New York Times and ABC News.
Here are five things to know.
1. Federal and state health officials rushed to meet a 5 p.m. deadline on Jan. 30 set by President Donald Trump's executive order that required them to terminate programs that promote "gender ideology," remove related documents and stop any media that might promote them, The New York Times reported Jan. 31.
2. The CDC and other agencies removed webpages, including those on gender-based violence and supporting LGBTQ+ youths. More specifically, the deleted pages related to HIV, tuberculosis and other diseases. In addition, the agency took down the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data, which reported on issues such as teenage depression. An interactive HIV risk reduction tool from the CDC was also removed, with information on the virus consolidated into a page titled "About HIV," ABC News reported Feb. 1. Other affected webpages include reproductiverights.gov, which provides reproductive care and abortion access resources, and the FDA's minority health and health equity page, ABC News reported.
3. Terms flagged for removal include "diversity," "pregnant people" and references to health and gender equity, ABC News reported, citing anonymous CDC officials. Some pages may be republished after language reviews and edits, according to the sources. Since the Jan. 30 deadline, some pages have been republished, while others are available but with certain words removed, The New York Times reported Feb. 2.
4. Experts voiced concerns about the potential long-term consequences of the new policies on public health. Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, R.I., told the Times that the directives "risk dismantling programs that have been built up over decades to serve the needs of Americans." Other public health experts warned that removing gender as a factor in research could undermine efforts to identify at-risk groups for diseases. For example, eliminating gender-related data could impact initiatives aimed at preventing sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, which has reached its highest levels in 50 years.
Tariffs on Canada, China, Mexico
5. President Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Canada struck last-minute deals Feb. 3 to postpone the imposition of the tariffs, averting a trade war for now, The New York Times reported Feb. 3.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods would be delayed by 30 days while a border deal is negotiated. Mexico also negotiated a similar delay, agreeing to send thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Trump administration had planned to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff on products from China. Industry experts have said the tariffs could disrupt the healthcare supply chain by increasing costs and exacerbating shortages of drugs and devices manufactured internationally.
In response, Canada announced 25% tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. imports, which had been set to take effect Feb. 4 until the deal was reached.