HHS Official Who Oversaw Separation Of Migrant Children Warned Colleagues It Would Cause Lasting Psychological Trauma
Commander Jonathan White of the U.S. Public Health Service testified at a hearing about the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy. "There is no evidence that HHS leaders ever tried to stop this abhorrent policy," said subcommittee leader, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) "As the agency dedicated to the health and welfare of children, we need to know why." White said he was not aware that anyone at HHS knew the policy was coming.
The Associated Press:
Official Who Oversaw Migrant Kids: Separation Causes Trauma
The Health and Human Services official responsible for helping to reunite families separated by the Trump administration said Thursday he had warned colleagues that separating children from their parents would cause lasting, serious psychological trauma. Commander Jonathan White of the U.S. Public Health Service testified before a House subcommittee looking into the "zero-tolerance policy" last April that resulted in the separation of more than 2,700 children. (Long, 2/7)
The Hill:
Trump Health Official Says Agency Would Never Have Supported Family Separations
“Neither I nor any career person ... would ever have supported such a policy proposal,” Jonathan White, a commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, said during a House subcommittee hearing. (Weixel, 2/7)
In other news from the administration —
Stat:
NIH Asks Watchdog To Investigate Allegations Of Foreign Influence
The National Institutes of Health has referred 12 allegations relating to foreign influence over U.S.-funded research to a federal oversight office, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday. Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has repeatedly demanded information from the NIH after the agency revealed in August it was investigating a half-dozen academic institutions — specifically, researchers who may have failed to disclose financial ties to foreign governments. (Facher, 2/7)
