“The Trump administration’s health department is suspending contracts with several GOP-connected communications firms, according to four people with knowledge of the situation, days after a POLITICO report revealed the existence of the contracts.”
“One of the contractors who was hired to boost Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma’s profile with the media has also abruptly cut ties with the agency, two people with knowledge of the situation said.”
“Watchdog groups have questioned why the agency was spending millions of dollars on public relations support tailored to the administrator and whether political appointees were steering subcontracts to their allies. CMS has its own large communications shop, which includes about two dozen federal workers who handle the press.” Read the full article here.
Source: Health department suspends contracts with GOP-linked consultants – By Dan Diamond and Adam Cancryn. April 3, 2019. POLITICO.
