On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced staff changes after an uproar over inflammatory statements and claims of attempted interference with a key CDC report.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a 60-day leave of absence for Michael Caputo, who served as its assistant secretary of public affairs.
The HHS said in a statement, “Caputo has decided to take a leave of absence to focus on his health and the well-being of his family.”
The health department also announced the departure of Paul Alexander, senior policy adviser to the assistant secretary for public affairs, who was hired to engage with the HHS on a temporary basis.
Caputo and Alexander sought to interfere with the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) related to COVID-19, according to The Politico. This story caused significant concern among researchers, doctors, lawmakers, as the MMWR plays a pivotal role in the agency’s efforts to warn the medical community about emerging public health threats.
Rep. Richard Neal asked HHS Secretary Alex Azar to provide Ways and Means Committee with detailed information on relevant publication processes involving the CDC.
Neal, who is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told Azar, “As you know, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) series has long served as a critical tool to inform state and local public health officials, healthcare providers, researchers, and the general public about infectious diseases and other ongoing public health developments —regardless of the political party of the Administration in charge.”
Many experts have also raised concerns over Caputo’s remarks in a video posted on Facebook when he said the CDC was harboring a “resistance unit” to undermine President Trump. However, he later apologized to HHS staff for his remarks, according to The Politico.
The Washington Post reported that Alexander sent repeated emails to the “CDC seeking changes and demanding that the reports be halted until he could make edits.” Ryan Murphy, the principal deputy assistant secretary for public affairs of HHS, will now lead the daily operations of the office during this time. Murphy, who previously served as acting assistant secretary for public affairs, also worked as an aide on Capitol Hill.
