On Thursday, the Trump administration told policy analysts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention they were prohibited from using seven words and phrases in official documents relating to their budget.
Analysts were told of the terms at a meeting with senior officials who oversee the agency’s budget, according to a Washington Post report. The terms are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”
The Department of Health and Human Services “will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans,” an agency spokesperson, Matt Lloyd, said in an email to The New York Times. “H.H.S. also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions.”
Matt Lloyd also said that the Department of Health and Human Services having “banned words” is a misunderstanding of the budget process, referring to a Washington Post report.
In some cases, the report reads, analysts were given alternatives to the phrases. “Science-based” or “evidence-based” could be replaced with•“CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes.” There are no alternative phrases to the remaining five words, according to the report.
