Trump Administration Has Frozen the EPA and Barred Multiple Agencies From Speaking to the Press
199 replies, posted
[quote=Source]
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has moved to curb the flow of information from several government agencies whose mandate impacts environmental issues since last week, in actions that appeared designed to tighten control and discourage dissenting views. [B]
Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have seen directives from the newly minted leadership seeking to limit how they communicate to the public, according to multiple sources.
[/B]
The moves have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change doubter, could seek to sideline scientific research showing that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, as well as the career staffers at the agencies that conduct much of this research.
[B]All of the agencies affected by the actions have some input on issues related to the environment and have been involved in various efforts related to climate change[/B], including effects on natural resources and human health.
On Tuesday, a source at the EPA said that staff had been [B]told by members of the Trump administration not to speak to reporters or publish any press releases or blog posts on social media[/B]. EPA staff have also been asked not to publicize any talks, conferences, or webinars that had been planned for the next 60 days, the staffer said, asking not to be named.
Asked if the EPA had been gagged, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday: "I don't know ... we're looking into it. ... I don't think it's a surprise we're going to review the policies, but I don't have any info at this time."
The agency also was asked by the White House on Monday to temporarily halt all contracts and grants pending a review, according to multiple sources. The EPA awards billions of dollars worth of grants and contracts every year to support programs around environmental testing, cleanups and research.
(...)
The Department of Agriculture also has seen efforts to curb communication. On Tuesday, employees were informed in a memo seen by Reuters that [B]all communications with the media should be approved by the administration[/B], and social media posts should be reviewed by managers "to remove references to policy priorities and initiatives of the previous Administration."
The department, meanwhile, disavowed an email sent on Monday to its scientific research unit ordering the suspension of releasing "any public-facing documents," including news releases and photos, saying it was sent without permission and should not include a ban on publication of peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Officials at HHS also received a memo [B]ordering them not to send “any correspondence” to other public officials[/B].
Instead, [B]they must refer any requests for information to senior leaders, who are not to do anything until they have received instructions from the White House staff[/B] on its policies, according to a source who read the memo.
Last week, staff at the Interior Department were told to stop posting on Twitter after an employee retweeted posts about the relatively low attendance at Trump's inauguration, and about how the issues of climate change and civil rights had disappeared from the White House website.
The department has since resumed tweeting - [B]though some tweets have been deleted[/B].
On Tuesday, Badlands National Park, part of the Department of Interior, posted a series of Tweets about climate change: "Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years. #climate," one of the tweets read. [B]By Tuesday afternoon, the tweets were gone.[/B]
Trump has promised to promote oil drilling and mining by cutting regulation, including by targeting former President Barack Obama's initiative to combat climate change. Trump also has suggested pulling the United States out of a global pact on climate change signed by nearly 200 countries last year.
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Source: [URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-idUSKBN15822X"]Reuters[/URL]
Alternate source: [URL="http://www.businessinsider.com/epa-freeze-trump-2017-1?r=UK&IR=T"]Business Insider[/URL]
[/quote]
This is happening. It's full censorship mode now.
I don't think this will make America great.
What a fat, worthless tyrant
M-Muri, oh fuck it, I can't be bothered to post that every time trump screws up.
Oh my god. Is this the great America people voted for? Full blown censorship so nothing can get to the press?
I for one welcome our new Glorious Leader Donald Jong Trump.
Please, I request any trump supporter to come and defend this action by the administration. What makes it okay to silence aspects of the government that do not deal with national security.
This is pretty fucking bananas.
:ohno:
[Media]https://twitter.com/passantino/status/824021040166674432[/media]
Full set of 4 deleted (notice the gas mention)
Still disgusting to see this happening
So, are we allowed to be worried yet? Are we allowed to make comparisons to dictators now? Or is it still too early to tell?
Wow, the president can go fuck himself.
I can't believe that he hasn't been impeached already.
What the fuck? This is literally censorship. How disgusting.
I can't believe that people were dumb enough to put this bag of meat into office.
Make America great again, one fuckin' step at a time.
[QUOTE=KillRay;51721898]
Full set of 4 deleted (notice the gas mention)
[/QUOTE]
Oh I didn't realize there were four tweets. I'll remove the image of the three in the OP since you've posted them already.
Don't worry guys, we'll get our science news from his Twitter now.
I hope to god no one here actually even tries to defend this shit.
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;51721916]Chonch? Sally? Tudd? Anybody?s[/QUOTE]
It's 2:55 in Moscow, give yem a break Tovarisch.
Ah you sneaky Zoney, editin your post soo fast.
Said I was going to give Trump a chance to make America great again but this doesn't seem like a good step in that direction.
[QUOTE=EskillV2;51721906]Wow, the president can go fuck himself.
I can't believe that he hasn't been impeached already.[/QUOTE]
He'll probably try to push an executive order against impeachment, if he keeps this course.
[QUOTE=WhichStrider;51721926]I hope to god no one here actually even tries to defend this shit.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry, I'm confident nobody will
Mostly because I doubt any of the usual advocates will actually show up in the thread but still
[QUOTE=ironman17;51721932]He'll probably try to push an executive order against impeachment, if he keeps this course.[/QUOTE]
Is that possible?
Can he really create an executive order that protects him from being impeached?
[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;51721916]I can't believe that people were dumb enough to put this bag of meat into office.
Make America great again, one fuckin' step at a time.[/QUOTE]
He was a better choice than Clinton.
[QUOTE=EskillV2;51721941]Is that possible?
Can he really create an executive order that protects him from being impeached?[/QUOTE]
No, actually. That would immediately be grounds for impeachment and many in the military and government wouldn't stand for it.
i.e unless he wants to be stabbed to death on the senate floor, I'd advise against it.
is trump going to break the record for shortest term in the presidential office
[QUOTE=Raidyr;51721947]He was a better choice than Clinton.[/QUOTE]
You can stop now.
[QUOTE=Raidyr;51721947]He was a better choice than Clinton.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, what happened to you dude? You know those two aren't comparable like that.
Are we great again yet?
M-MAGA?
[QUOTE=Raidyr;51721947]He was a better choice than Clinton.[/QUOTE]
Seriously, just stop it. You aren't fooling anyone.
For the future, I recommend installing a text plugin that replaces "administration" with "regime"
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