CDC Pushes Back Against Report of Words Like ‘Fetus’ And ‘Transgender’ Being Banned

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing back against a report alleging that the Trump administration had banned the organization from using specific words in next year’s budget documents.

The Washington Post reported the news on Friday, citing an analyst who had been briefed on the ban of seven terms, which was confirmed by other CDC officials. The banned words, according to the Post included “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based,” and the reason for the ban was not clarified in the briefing.

“I want to assure you there are no banned words at CDC. We will continue to talk about all our important public health programs,” CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald said in a Facebook post. “I want to assure you that CDC remains committed to our public health mission as a science- and evidence-based institution. As part of our commitment to provide for the common defense of the country against health threats, science is and will remain the foundation of our work.”

The CDC also included a statement from the department of Health and Human Services Department, who called the report a “mischaracterization.”

“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,” the organization said.