First the National Park Service was banned from using social media because one Park Service Twitter account dared to retweet images showing Trump’s less-than-stellar inaugural crowd. Then the EPA was blocked from all forms of external communication. The research arm of the USDA was the next to go behind the Trump Curtain. And it seems that this glittery gilt wall of silence is not just spreading, but even cutting off communication with Congress.
Multiple federal agencies have told their employees to cease communications with members of Congress and the press, sources have told The Huffington Post.
The freeze has startled aides on the Hill and people at those agencies, who worry that it could abruptly upend current operations and stifle work and discussions that routinely take place between branches of government.
Behind the Trump Curtain, science is being stiffed, grants are being halted, and programs that are dependent on communication with state and local officials are being frozen.
By locking Congress out, the Trump regime isn’t just denying them information that can be used for legislation or evaluating the effectiveness of agencies; they are also cutting off the ability of Congress to act as an agent for constituents who need help navigating the complexity of agencies.
The barriers are turning Trump’s government into a black box, making it impossible to see how policy changes are being implemented.
As for the communications freeze, sources on Capitol Hill said they are worried about the timing of the directive. Lawmakers routinely help constituents to interface with federal agencies, especially those that fall under the HHS umbrella. If officials who deal with Medicare and Medicaid policies aren’t allowed to talk to members of Congress, one Hill aide noted, it will be impossible to address constituent concerns with those programs.
And of course where no public information is available, it’s very hard to write any news story about what can’t be seen.
Another quick visit with Masha Gessen:
Many of these institutions are enshrined in political culture rather than in law, and all of them—including the ones enshrined in law—depend on the good faith of all actors to fulfill their purpose and uphold the Constitution. …
The power of the investigative press—whose adherence to fact has already been severely challenged by the conspiracy-minded, lie-spinning Trump campaign—will grow weaker. The world will grow murkier. Even in the unlikely event that some mainstream media outlets decide to declare themselves in opposition to the current government, or even simply to report its abuses and failings, the president will get to frame many issues.
Today’s weather forecast: Extremely murky.