The Trump administration has told agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to avoid using certain words or phrases in official documents being drafted for 2018's budget, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The newspaper said one of the agencies, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was given a list of seven words or phrases that have been prohibited: "Vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."
Officials at a second agency were also 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 subsidised health insurance, the Post reported.
In some cases, the CDC was offered alternatives for the words that had been banned, reported the Post. For example, it was recommended that instead of “science-based” or “evidence-based”, the CDC use the phrase:
CDC bases its recommendations on science, in consideration with community standards and wishes.
In other cases, no replacements were offered.
The CDC engages in work that requires it to use these terms.
The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, for example, is currently working on emanating information about ‘ways to prevent HIV among transgender people’. There are only finite ways to convey that without using the word “transgender”.
HHS pushed back on the report.
The assertion that HHS has ‘banned words’ is a complete mischaracterisation of discussions regarding the budget formulation process. 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.Spokesman Matt Lloyd said in a statement
The newspaper said State Department documents also now refer to sex education as "sexual risk avoidance."
A briefing at the second HHS agency relied on a document from the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees President Donald Trump's annual budget proposal to Congress, according to the Post.
The Post said no explanations were given for the language changes. It is reportedly related to the upcoming budget to be allocated to the CDC’s partners and to the Congress.
(With inputs from Reuters and Washington Post.)
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