Some scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been directed to stop using words like "woman," "disabled," and "elderly" in public communications, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The directive, part of a broader list of prohibited terms, has caused confusion within the agency. A White House spokesman attributed the restriction to a misinterpretation of President Donald Trump’s executive order.
A document titled "Prohibited words" has been circulating in official FDA work chats for at least a week, according to two FDA scientists who spoke anonymously, fearing professional consequences. The origins of the directive remain unclear, and even agency managers have been unable to explain why over two dozen words were blacklisted.
"I don’t understand why we can’t use a word like ‘woman,’" one FDA scientist told Reuters. "This makes it nearly impossible to do our jobs."
Similar restrictions have affected another federal health agency, which was instructed to remove terms such as "gender," "transgender," "LGBT," and "nonbinary" from its materials. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed publicly available HIV-related datasets and withdrew pending research papers for review by Trump appointees. Public health experts warn that such language restrictions could hinder efforts to address critical medical needs, including those related to HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
The list of banned words at the FDA, reviewed by Reuters, is extensive and includes terms like "underrepresented," "underserved," "sex," "identity," "diverse," "promote," "definition," "continuum," "ideology," "self-assessed," "special populations," and "elderly." No explanation was provided alongside the directive.
While the White House spokesman stated that most words on the list were unnecessary to remove, he confirmed that terms such as "gender," "inclusion," "identity," "diversity," "intersex," "equity," "equitable," "transgender," and "trans" must be excluded from official communications to comply with the executive order.
An FDA spokesperson denied the existence of an official banned words list and declined to comment on the White House’s position.
Sources within the FDA indicated that the list may have originated from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, which oversees the safety of medical devices. They warned that the restrictions, combined with recent mass firings, could slow device review processes and limit scientists' ability to assess product safety.
The White House confirmed that over 1,000 FDA employees have been dismissed as part of widespread layoffs across federal agencies under the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.