Worries at the NIH were stirred after Larry Tabak, PhD, the principal deputy director of the agency, sent out an email to the directors of the 27 NIH centers and institutes, according to Science.
“For your additional awareness, please note that we have been directed not to send any correspondence to public officials (to include Members of Congress and state and local officials) between now and February 3, unless specifically authorized by the department,” wrote Dr. Tabak in his email to colleagues, according to Science.
While on the surface the email may appear to be citing a kind of gag order, some insiders say the directive could be more routine than it appears.
NIH spokesperson Renate Myles in Bethesda, Md., told Science via email the instructions relayed by Dr. Tabak were not sent to all NIH employees and were meant to halt the issuance of new regulations until the new presidential administration has had a chance to review them, adding that the agency has not been barred from issuing press releases or posting on social media.
In The New York Times, anonymous employees from three government agencies that received similar orders from the White House — including environmental regulators who expressed concern about the current administration’s environmental policies — said the orders were similar to those issued by the Obama administration amid its transition. The employees categorized the reactions to the directives sent by the White House as “overblown.”
While acknowledging the possibility such orders from the executive branch could be routine, Benjamin Corb, director of public affairs American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, also expressed concern regarding the Trump administration’s possible policies on matters pertaining to science.
“We want to make sure federally funded science agencies are able to carry out their mission without political interference,” said Mr. Corb, according to Science.
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