The American public may lose the ability to comment on US Department of Health and Human Services policy decisions, as HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeks an end to the practice that was established in 1971, according to Reuters.
The new policy would affect agencies like the FDA and CDC, Reuters says.
In a document posted on Friday in the Federal Register, HHS announced plans to rescind its decades-long practice of allowing public comment on a range of agency actions.
The proposal marks a shift in the rulemaking process at HHS, which directs $3 trillion in healthcare spending and oversees high-profile agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid that provide health insurance for over 140 million people.
Set for formal publication on March 3, the proposal would strip the public’s ability to submit feedback on decisions related to agency management, personnel, public property, loans and grants, benefits, and contracts.
via Reuters
