Exclusive: US veterans agency orders scientists not to publish in journals without clearance
Senior officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered that VA physicians and scientists not publish in medical journals or speak with the public without first seeking clearance from political appointees of Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned.
The edict, laid down in emails on Friday by Curt Cashour, the VA's assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, and John Bartrum, a senior adviser to VA secretary Doug Collins, came hours after the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a perspective co-authored by two pulmonologists who work for the VA in Texas.
'We have guidance for this,' wrote Cashour, a former Republican congressional aide and campaign consultant, attaching the journal article. 'These people did not follow it.'
The article warned that cancelled contracts, layoffs and a planned staff reduction of 80,000 employees in the nation's largest integrated healthcare system jeopardizes the health of a million veterans seeking help for conditions linked to toxic exposure – ranging from Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who developed cancer after being exposed to smoke from piles of flaming toxic waste.
'As pulmonologists in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we have been seeing increasing numbers of veterans with chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and other respiratory conditions,' doctors Pavan Ganapathiraju and Rebecca Traylor wrote.
The authors, who practice at the VA in Austin, Texas, noted that in 2022 Congress dramatically expanded the number of medical conditions presumed to be linked to military service. 'But legislation doesn't care for patients,' they wrote, 'people do'.
The article sparked an immediate rebuke from President Trump's political appointees, according to internal emails obtained by the Guardian. 'We have noticed a number of academic articles and press articles recently,' Bartrum wrote, attaching a copy of the journal article. 'Please remind the field and academic community that they need to follow the VA policy.'
Cashour, the assistant secretary, wrote that approval for publication in national media was delegated to his office. Local and regional directors were to inform Washington 'as soon as possible' when situations exist 'that have the potential for negative national exposure'.
Multiple inquiries to Cashour and VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz went unanswered by deadline.
Ganapathiraju told the Guardian that the article was in full compliance with the VA regulations, which state that employees are encouraged to publish in 'peer-reviewed, professional or scholarly journals'. Coordination with public affairs officers is encouraged, but not required, when sharing personal or academic opinions, the rules say.
Ganapathiraju said neither he nor his co-author had yet faced punishment. 'We have received emails and messages from other VAs across the country (including doctors, department chiefs, chief of medicines, and chief of staff) supporting our article,' he wrote in an email. 'No communication from our local VA or from National.'
Still, VA workers and veterans advocates say Friday's warnings fit a pattern of censorship by the Trump administration, which critics say is waging a 'war on science'. Since taking office, Trump administration officials have cancelled billions of dollars in grants funding medical research at the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. Nearly 2,000 leading scientists, including dozens of Nobel Prize winners, signed an open letter released in April saying science was being 'decimated' by cuts to research and a growing 'climate of fear' that put independent research at risk.
Trump issued an executive order on 23 May titled 'Restoring Gold Standard Science.' It accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of misusing scientific evidence when crafting policies on climate change, public health during the Covid-19 pandemic and other issues. Thousands of academics signed a new open letter that protested the move, arguing it opens the door to political interference.
On 28 May, the secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, said he was considering barring government scientists from publishing in top journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine, calling these publications 'corrupt'.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has long been one of the nation's most important centers of medical research. Funded by Congress with nearly $1bn annually, VA scientists operate at 102 research sites and are engaged in 7,300 ongoing projects, while publishing more than 10,000 papers in scientific journals last year.
VA scientists invented the nicotine patch and the pacemaker and developed the CT scan. The agency runs the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which has pioneered mental health treatments that benefit not only veterans but also rape victims and other survivors of natural disasters and violent crime.
Harold Kudler, a psychiatrist and researcher who served as national mental health policy lead for VA under the Obama and first Trump administrations said the rebuke to the pulmonologists' article was 'powerful in its impact and frightening in the threat it represents'.
It was 'another attack on freedom of speech', he said. 'Veterans will suffer because of it. Plus, all research programs will take note.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
OECD trims global outlook as Trump trade war hits U.S. growth
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) - Global economic growth is slowing more than expected only a few months ago as the fallout from the Trump administration's trade war takes a bigger toll on the U.S. economy, the OECD said on Tuesday, revising down its outlook. The global economy is on course to slow from 3.3% last year to 2.9% in 2025 and 2026, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said, trimming its estimates from March for growth of 3.1% this year and 3.0% next year. But the growth outlook would likely be even weaker if protectionism increases, further fuelling inflation, disrupting supply chains and rattling financial markets, the Paris-based organisation said in its latest Economic Outlook. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff announcements since he took office in January have already roiled financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty, forcing him to walk back some of his initial stances. Last month, the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary truce to scale back tariffs, while Trump also postponed 50% duties on the European Union until July 9. The OECD forecast the U.S. economy would grow only 1.6% this year and 1.5% next year, assuming for the purpose of making calculations that tariffs in place mid-May would remain so through the rest of 2025 and 2026. For 2025, the new forecast marked a sizeable cut as the organisation had previously expected the world's biggest economy would grow 2.2% this year and 1.6% next year. While new tariffs may create incentives to manufacture in the United States, higher import prices would squeeze consumers' purchasing power and economic policy uncertainty would hold back corporate investment, the OECD warned. Meanwhile, the higher tariff receipts would only partly offset revenues lost due to the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, new tax cuts and weaker economic growth, it added. Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill was expected to push the U.S. budget deficit to 8% of economic output by 2026, among the biggest fiscal shortfalls for a developed economy not at war. As tariffs fuel inflation pressures, the Federal Reserve was seen keeping rates on hold through this year and then cutting the fed funds rate to 3.25-3.5% by the end of 2026. In China, the fallout from the U.S. tariff hikes would be partly offset by government subsidies for a trade-in programme on consumer goods like mobile phones and appliances and increased welfare transfers, the OECD said. It estimated the world's second-biggest economy, which is not an OECD member, would grow 4.7% this year and 4.3% in 2026, little changed from previous forecasts for 4.8% in 2025 and 4.4% in 2026. The outlook for the euro area was unchanged from March with growth forecast this year at 1.0% and 1.2% next year, boosted by resilient labour markets and interest rate cuts while more public spending from Germany would buoy 2026 growth. The UK outlook was a tad better than in March with growth forecast at 1.3% this year and 1.0% in 2026, revised marginally lower from March estimates for 1.4% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2026.
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Air quality alerts issued in 3 states as people told to stay indoors
A thick, toxic cloud of smoke has blanketed parts of the US on Monday, sparking air quality emergencies in three states. Residents in Michigan, Minnesota and South Carolina have been issued the alert, urging them to stay indoors today and possibly Tuesday. Authorities warned that smoke from more than 160 active wildfires in Canada is drifting southward, creating a public health emergency across several US regions. The National Weather Service issued alerts cautioning that fine particles in the air known as PM2.5 has risen to unsafe levels. PM2.5, fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers wide about 30 times smaller than a human hair. It can easily penetrate deep in the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation, heart issues and worsening asthma symptoms. Children, the elderly and people with asthma and heart disease are especially at risk. In Michigan and Minnesota, the problem is largely due to smoke pouring in from blazes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, driven south by strong wind and cold front. Meanwhile, parts of South Carolina are experiencing a separate but related threat, high ozone pollution levels , worsened by weekend smoke interactions Officials advised locals to limit the outdoor activities, close windows and use filtered air indoors to avoid potentially serious health effects. Wildfire smoke contains a mix of gases and fine particles that can trigger respiratory problems and exacerbate chronic health conditions. On Monday, a broad air quality alert was in place for most of Minnesota, as smoke from Manitoba and Saskatchewan wildfires continued its slow march south. The pollution stems from Canada's escalating wildfire crisis, which officials say is on track to rival or exceed last year's record-breaking season. 'Sensitive groups should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion,' the alert said, adding that even healthy individuals may feel effects during peak hours. In Michigan, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued an advisory affecting 15 counties, including Keweenaw, Delta, Marquette, Iron, and Houghton. Conditions were expected to remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through late Monday and potentially into Tuesday morning. The warning coincided with a Red Flag Warning in effect until 10pmET/9pm CST in western Upper Michigan, where hot, dry, and windy weather created prime conditions for fire spread. Temperatures near 90°F and humidity levels below 30 percent meant any spark could lead to a rapidly spreading blaze. 'Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly,' the National Weather Service in Marquette posted. 'Campfires, outdoor grills, smoking materials, fireworks, chain saws, and all-terrain vehicles all have the potential to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous and destructive fire.' Meanwhile, The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) has issued a Code Orange Ozone Action Day for the Catawba and Upstate regions, including cities like Greenville and Spartanburg. The warning comes as stagnant air, low wind speeds, and high temperatures are expected to cause elevated levels of ground-level ozone, worsened by wildfire smoke drifting from Canada. 'These conditions create a perfect storm for ozone pollution, especially dangerous for people with asthma or other lung diseases,' said an SCDES spokesperson. The danger isn't limited to just these three states. Experts warn that hazy skies and low-level smoke could stretch as far south as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and as far east as the Mid-Atlantic in coming days. Satellite imagery over the weekend showed a thick blanket of smoke reaching from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes. AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham noted that the smoke will vary in intensity. 'Most of the time it will hover high in the atmosphere and just dim the sun, but there will be episodes where it sinks to ground level,' Buckingham said. That drop makes the air dangerous to breathe, especially for people with pre-existing respiratory issues. In Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew declared a state of emergency last week and ordered evacuations of over 17,000 residents from communities near large fire zones. 'This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory,' Kinew said. The Canadian military has been called in to assist. While experts say 2025's wildfire smoke hasn't yet matched last year's historic haze, which famously turned New York City skies orange, they warn the season is still in its early stages. Peak wildfire activity in Canada typically occurs between late June and early August.
Times
30 minutes ago
- Times
Attack at Gaza aid point ‘leaves 24 dead and dozens injured'
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
