Trump admin agrees to restore public health webpages
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The Trump administration agreed to restore scores of health agency webpages and datasets that went dark to comply with executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity, under a court settlement announced on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The information blackout shocked health providers and centered on issues like contraception and transgender health that President Trump and Republicans have repeatedly targeted. It also swept up information about HIV, at-risk youths and women's health.
- The action prompted a lawsuit from nine medical groups who alleged the administration's actions were arbitrary, illegal and threatened public health.
Driving the news: Under the agreement, the Health and Human Services Department will reinstate the webpages in question to reflect how they appeared online as of Jan. 29, 2025. Once that happens, the case will then be dismissed, according to AcademyHealth, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Yes, but: It's unclear if agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have the resources to update the data.
- It's also unclear how HHS may interpret its role moving forward. "It'll be on us and others to make sure that data is back and then to continue to make sure that it gets updated in the future," Aaron Carroll, CEO of AcademyHealth, told Axios.
Catch up quick: The Washington State Medical Association and eight other plaintiffs sued HHS and its sub-agencies in May, challenging the loss of "taxpayer-funded webpages, databases and other crucial resources."
- Content in question included the CDC's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System database, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and PEPFAR data dashboards, Carroll said.
What they're saying: "This was never partisan to us," Carroll said. "We pushed back against the Biden administration when they restricted Medicare data," he said.
- "In this case, we just believe that the data that should be available and websites which should be available and are mandated by law should exist. We're thrilled this has been the outcome."
The other side: "HHS remains committed to its mission of removing radical gender and DEI ideology from federal programs, subject to applicable law, to ensure taxpayer dollars deliver meaningful results for the American people," an HHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
- In a statement posted on pages to be restored, HHS said "information on this page may be modified and/or removed in the future subject to the terms of the court's order and implemented consistent with applicable law."
- "Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from truth," the statement read. 'This page does not reflect reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it."
This story has been updated with the correct name of the Washington State Medical Association.
