The administration of United States President Donald Trump has called on federal health agencies to temporarily halt their external communications, including public reports on public health incidents.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the administration’s memo on Wednesday, the day after it was sent to federal health workers announcing the “immediate pause”.

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In the memo, the acting secretary of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), Dorothy Fink, told staffers that some exceptions would be made for “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or nation security functions” — but only after review.

The pause affects regulations, press releases, social media posts, website changes and public health guidance. That includes publications like the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other data releases.

Such materials may only be released following approval from a Trump appointee. The pause is slated to remain in effect until February 1.

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Critics fear the pause may be used to stifle research and other public health information that may not align with the new administration’s priorities.

They point to Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, when he clashed with public health officials over the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, for instance, Trump blamed the number of COVID-19 tests for creating unflattering statistics.

“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please.’”

Several CDC leaders later testified that Trump officials at the time pressured them to alter the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, though they refused. Republican leaders have denied those allegations.

Still, some experts question whether this week’s pause on publications is simply a byproduct of a new administration taking the reins.

Steven Grossman, a former official with Health and Human Services, told the Associated Press that other administrations have likewise sought a pause in public releases while they get settled in their leadership roles.

“The executive branch is a hierarchy,” said Grossman, who now consults with food and drug companies.

“Whether stated publicly or not, every new administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams are in place and some semblance of hierarchy restored.”

Fink, an endocrinologist, is currently leading Health and Human Services on an interim basis, while the US Senate considers whether to confirm Trump’s pick to direct the department, Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine sceptic.

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Separately, Trump pulled the US out of the World Health Organization on Monday, the first day of his second term, accusing the group of “mishandling” the COVID-19 pandemic.

Critics warned, however, that the move will hamper the US’s ability to prepare for the next pandemic and stymie cross-border collaborations.