CDC to Dems: We don’t ban words, though try to avoid some

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t ban any words under President Trump but directed staff to avoid words like “vulnerable,” “diversity,” and “entitlement” in budget requests, the agency told Senate Democrats.

It also prefers the colloquial term “Obamacare” to refer to the 2010 Affordable Care Act and wants employees to refer to its insurance portals as “exchanges” instead of “marketplaces” in its fiscal requests to Congress, according to a CDC letter released by Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii on Tuesday.

Recent media reports suggested there was a list of banned words at the CDC.

CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald said that mischaracterized staff discussions on budget guidance, which were limited to the agency and not based on any directive from the White House.

She said the agency didn’t issue guidance regarding words like “fetus,” “transgender” or “evidence-based,” despite reports to the contrary.

“There are absolutely no ’banned’ words,” Dr. Fitzgerald told Democrats. “These are merely suggestions at what terms to use and what often overused words should be avoided. CDC will always seek to make the budgetary prices as accessible and relatable to as many audiences as possible.”

Yet Democrats slammed the agency, saying it was still promoting politically charged language in its style guide for agency staff.

“This is Orwellian anti-science partisanship that has no place in a government agency,” Mr. Schatz said. “HHS and the CDC have an obligation to carry out the law and protect public health. They should not be engaging in partisan politics that undermine scientific progress and public faith in our government.”

Dr. Fitzgerald said the CDC uses the “best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans.”