Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday released a policy prohibiting public comments during his department’s rulemaking process, ending more than 50 years of the

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is closing the main avenue for members of the public to weigh in on pending health regulations and policy changes. | The HHS secretary said the public feedback mechanism is an obligation that imposes burden on the department.

The move comes during a time of major upheaval across federal health agencies, and as the public waits to see how Kennedy will enact his pledge of “radical transparency” at the department.

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is proposing to end public comment on decisions made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a document from the health agency showed on Friday. The document,

The Department of Health and Human Services is reversing a decades-old policy of soliciting public comment before it issues regulations affecting government benefits and grants, including NIH funding.