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Rep. Johnson's statement on CDC banned words & phrases controversy

Statement

Date: Dec. 18, 2017
Location: Atlanta, GA
Issues: Executive Branch Government Operations

Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a statement following reports that the Trump Administration is prohibiting top health officials, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from using a list of seven words or phrases when preparing 2018 budget documents. The forbidden terms are "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based":

"From the very beginning this administration has dealt in fake news and alternative facts, so it is no surprise that it would impose language restrictions on agency employees," said Johnson. "Censorship and the propaganda that results is dangerous. It smacks of what totalitarian regimes do to obfuscate the truth. Requiring federal agencies to produce political propaganda leads to the erosion of our Democratic principles, and the competitive edge that has made America great."


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