Agency review reveals some of the Trump administration’s CDC guidelines were not science-based or free from undue influence

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The review found that some guidance “used less direct language than the available supported evidence”, “needed to be updated to reflect the latest scientific evidence” and “inconsistently presented the underlying scientific basis for the guidance” , according to the spokesperson.

“I am focused on advancing the CDC with science, transparency and clarity. It is imperative that the American people trust the CDC. Otherwise, preventable disease and injury can arise – and, tragically, lives will be. lost, ”Walensky said in a statement to CNN.

“This agency and its critical health information cannot be vulnerable to undue influence, and this report helps pave the way towards rebuilding trust and ensuring that the information the CDC shares with the American people is based on solid science that will keep us, our loved ones, loyal. and our communities healthy and safe. “

The CDC review was first reported by The Washington Post.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized its own medical advisers for the nature and subsequent public messages of the ongoing pandemic. As early as February 2020, Dr Nancy Messonnier, one of the CDC’s leading immunization experts, warned that the virus could seriously disrupt American life, affecting schools and businesses, and told people to prepare along with Trump. reassured the nation that the virus “was going to go away” and was “very well under control”.
The effects of the clash have been striking, with those named by Trump often gaining the upper hand. Michael Caputo – a close ally of Trump who served as a senior official in the Department of Health and Human Services – has been accused by critics of politicizing the CDC and the HHS response to the coronavirus pandemic. CNN reported in September that Caputo and his team had requested to see the CDC’s weekly science reports ahead of their release, with some HHS communications officials pushing to change the language of the reports so as not to undermine Trump’s political message. In response to this claim, Caputo criticized the CDC with conspiracy charges.
In October, sources told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Messonnier was ordered to “shut up” as Trump downplayed the coronavirus threat. Trump’s White House halted CDC briefings on the pandemic last March after Messonnier warned of worsening spread and disruption, angering the then president.
Walensky wrote in the agency’s review on the advice of the Trump administration that she struggled to understand which guidance documents had provided major new updates – and she recommended ways in which the agency under the Biden administration may do things differently.

While conducting the review, Walensky wrote that she “found it too difficult” to say whether a new document represented a major or very minor update to existing guidelines, and to decipher what the basic recommendations were in long documents.

Some documents were also removed or replaced from the CDC website during the review. The review names the document that had previously been withdrawn as “The Importance of Reopening US Schools This Fall”, while the document “Overview of Testing for SARS-COV-2” had been replaced. According to the review, a link to the “Opening America Again” document was also removed from the website.

Walensky noted in the review that “there was not a consistent practice of publishing supporting evidence in a scientific note in conjunction with each major new direction.” But, she added, “We are now committed to providing updated science notes if there is any research to inform updates to the guidelines.”

Walensky wrote that the CDC “will finalize production and reviews of the remaining new priority directions” in the coming weeks. Walensky made several recommendations for moving forward, including clarifying what scientific evidence was used for major new guidance documents, as well as scheduling briefings with the media when new guidance is released, as well. as several other recommendations.

This story has been updated with additional background information.

CNN’s Stephen Collinson, Maggie Fox and Elizabeth Cohen contributed to this report.

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