CORRECTION: I can no longer guarantee ANY federal data.

Back on December 15th, I posted an entry entitled "I cannot guarantee accurate federal data after 1/20/17", in which I warned that given Trump's never-ending stream of bullshit and the fascistic overtones of the impending Trump Administration, the odds were pretty high that once they took over, all data from the federal government would likely become highly suspect. Cooking the books, doctoring the data, flat-out purging vast quantities of information...all of this was possible.

Well, it turns out it could be even worse than that: How about no data or information whatsoever?

Federal Workers Told To Halt External Communication In First Week Under Trump
Staff have been told to stop talking to Congress and the press.

WASHINGTON ― 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.

Officials at sub-agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services, for example, have been told not to send “any correspondence to public officials” according to a memo shared with HuffPost. Instead, they have been asked to refer questions to agency leadership

...there also appears to be a lockdown on external communication at the Environmental Protection Agency. As HuffPost reported Monday, a memo went out within the agency following a briefing for communication directors. The memo said there would be no press releases, social media posts or blog messages until further notice. 

...A similar directive has been issued to staffers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research arm, BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday.

...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.

Additionally, this year’s Affordable Care Act enrollment continues until Jan. 31 and runs largely through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which falls under HHS. If constituents have questions about coverage options, the aide noted, the communications freeze may make it impossible to address those issues.

This is fascism, pure and simple. It's real. It's here. It's happening RIGHT NOW.

I'm not a formal journalist. I don't have corporate attorneys backing me...but if anyone who works for HHS or CMS wishes to submit information which they feel is vital to disseminate publicly, and which isn't being made available otherwise, I promise to do my very best to protect your identity.

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