The latest order that hinders Trump's communication staff from directly communicating, especially to members of Congress, is now in effect. Respective State Department officials are not allowed to send their memos or Trump's communication officers to do the same to the House of Representatives.
The "no direct memo order" worried the National Institute of Health (NIH). The NIH allayed fears by the gag order the state implemented. The agency sent correspondence to its twenty-seven institute and center directors immediately, instructing them to hold communications directly to senators. The order stifled external communications of employees, as seen from a photocopy provided by Bizmates.
According to a report from the New York Times, People on the Hill got the surprise of the memo that sparked jitters on holding imperative discussions that may come down along the communication avenue between congress and the agencies concerned in the White House and staffers involved in the "no direct memo order". Gag orders are just standard, and subordinates should follow how they run the state, said an insider in the Environmental Protection Agency. The Department of Health and Human Services got their orders to temporarily shut its social media, public posts, and press releases at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, as reported in the Science Insider.
Reince Priebus earlier sent a circular that states the temporary freezing and issuance of the "no direct memo order", is just temporary until the new government reviews the respective department's status. NIH Principal Deputy Director, Larry Tabak, wrongly stated his correspondence to his agency directors causing jitters to the already shaking NIH, as explained by Renate Myles, the NIH spokesperson.
The Environmental Protection Agency also relayed fears of the "no direct memo order". They received orders to consult their superiors before sending out communications and post blogs in their websites. Their fear, coupled with the freezing of company spending gave them the worries of what could happen next. The "no direct memo order" has similar reactions across the departments receiving the decree.
