Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposes eliminating public input on major health policies.
- The proposal would end a decades-long practice, affecting agencies like the FDA and CDC.
- This move contradicts Kennedy's pledge of "radical transparency" and raises concerns among lawmakers.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is seeking to eliminate public participation in many of his department's policy decisions, a move that appears to contradict his pledge to Congress of "radical transparency."
In a document posted on Friday in the Federal Register, HHS announced plans to rescind its decades-long practice of allowing public comment on a range of agency actions.
The proposal marks a shift in the rulemaking process at HHS, which directs $3 trillion in health care spending and oversees high-profile agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid that provide health insurance for over 140 million people.
Set for formal publication on March 3, the proposal would strip the public's ability to submit feedback on decisions related to agency management, personnel, public property, loans and grants, benefits, and contracts.
It also grants HHS the discretion to bypass public input when it deems the process "impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest."
The move effectively ends a policy that had been in place since 1971 that allowed public comment on issues where it was not mandated by law.
HHS said the policy had imposed unnecessary procedural burdens and limited its ability to respond efficiently to legal and policy mandates.
HHS in a statement said the public comment obligations "impose costs on the department and the public, are contrary to the efficient operation of the department, and impede the department's flexibility to adapt quickly to legal and policy mandates."
Under the revised approach, HHS agencies would retain discretion to seek public input but would no longer be required to do so unless otherwise mandated by law.
The move comes during significant upheaval at federal health agencies, including mass terminations at the CDC, FDA and NIH.
It also raises questions about how Kennedy will reconcile the policy shift with his repeated promises during his Senate confirmation hearings to make HHS more open and accessible.
Earlier on Friday, Democrats in the House of Representatives demanded answers from Kennedy on the exact number of employees fired from the health agencies he oversees and warned the dismissals could undermine public health.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Contributing: Christy Santhosh
