Multiple public records teams were entirely cut by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the HHS as part of the Trump administration’s layoffs of 10,000 health workers on Tuesday. A few staffers who handle requests for public government documents remain, but many have been let go according to reports from NPR.
One of the key ways journalists and the general public keep agencies like the CDC, FDA and NIH accountable for their work is through public record requests which was mandated by Congress in the 1960s under the Freedom of Information Act. Without adequate employees, the ability to retrieve public health records on drugs, foods and important life-saving research studies could be compromised.
Transparency
Public record requests allow the public to access government data and ensure that decisions being made at the HHS are based on sound science. As an example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, public records were critical in demonstrating how vaccines were distributed and how decisions surrounding mask mandates were made. If a similar crisis were to occur in the future with restricted access to important public health records, the general public would be left in the dark with respect to why important public health decisions were being made.
RFK has promised “radical transparency”, but the decision to close FOIA offices seems to go directly against accountability and transparency. How will the public hold RFK accountable for mishaps that may occur under the HHS?
Integrity Of Research Concerns
Public health experts as well as families rely on government data to stay informed and track important diseases like the flu. Without such records, families and the general public may not be informed on statistics with respect to flu, how many cases are occurring, where they are occurring and disparities associated with flu cases.
A study that will look to examine a link between vaccines and autism will soon be underway by the HHS. If the public does not have access to the records that delineate how the study was performed or the methods by which the study protocol are established, the public will not be able to determine how valid or reliable the study is. This would have devastating consequences for public health given how high stakes this research would be in informing the public on the importance of vaccines and their ability to save lives. Vaccines have already polarized America, and a lack of transparency for this type of research could cost lives, particularly if the research study has serious flaws and wrongfully demonstrates a strong link between vaccines and autism. This could inform public health policy and lead to higher levels of vaccine hesitancy, without the research going checked by scientists and public health experts.
The Trump administration has already purged a significant amount of data and information from important health websites, such as information on flu vaccination campaigns. The American public does not need more information censored that could potentially inform their future health decisions.
Erosion Of Public Trust
Without health transparency, corruption and mismanagement thrive. By shutting down access to important health documents, it becomes easier for the HHS to conceal mistakes and unethical practices.
If big pharma, for example, were to exert pressure on the FDA over the approval of a drug, it would be public records that would expose the conflict of interest. Without these documents, these types of conflicts of interest become much more difficult to unravel.
Trust in science remains fragile, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic when the choice to vaccinate became highly polarized across political partly lines. Without access to public health records, trust in science and health will continue to deteriorate. When people feel the government is hiding information, they are less likely to follow recommendations from public health leaders. This would have rippling effects on America if we were to ever see another pandemic, particularly if vaccines or masks were recommended again.
Keeping health records transparent should be a democratic imperative and a right for all American citizens. Without public record requests, research will be hindered and trust in science will be eroded. Ultimately, lives could be lost and there would be no way to expose the mishaps of health agencies.
