WASHINGTON — Eighty-four members of Congress wrote to President Donald Trump on Feb. 24, urging him to resume interagency communication, particularly regarding strategy to prevent further spreading of avian influenza.

Upon stepping into the presidency in January, Trump issued an order for agency heads to refrain from external forms of communication like the issuance of documents, guidance or notices until they can be approved by a presidential appointee. Prior to this notice, agencies like the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would regularly collaborate and hold conference calls to answer questions from the press.

Leading the group of 84 Democratic Congress members was Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who said the “gag order” has harmed the nation’s response to mitigating the spread of H5N1.

“Viruses will not wait for this administration to lift its gag order or for agencies to restart their collaboration and information sharing before they spread or mutate,” the letter to President Trump said. “It is clear that these interfering short-sighted actions by your administration will cause significant harm.”

CDC previously confirmed a mutation discovered in a strain of H5N1 found in a human patient that allowed the virus to move more easily through human airways.

Furthermore, earlier this month, a new H5N1 genotype was discovered in dairy cattle. While past H5N1 detections in dairy cattle have been the B3.13 genotype, a recent case in Nevada indicated a D1.1 genotype, which has most commonly been found in wild birds but never before in cows.

“This spillover event is an alarming development, most likely signaling a new chapter in this outbreak,” the lawmakers wrote.

So far, the virus has affected nearly 1,000 dairy herds across 16 states, over 166 million poultry, more than 12,000 wild birds and infected 70 people, with one associated death.

“We know you would not like to see another deadly pandemic unfold under your watch,” the letter continued. “[T]hus, we await your swift action to completely lift the pause on external communications by public health agencies, commit to cross-agency collaboration on H5N1, and work to get every necessary state enrolled in the National Milk Testing Strategy.”

Additionally, the lawmakers noted that last week USDA confirmed the layoffs of several agency employees working on the federal response to H5N1.

“The administration ‘prioritizing’ their bird flu response and firing of federal employees actively working on this worsening outbreak cannot both coexist,” they said.