Donald Trump has been accused of illegally gagging government employees after his administration ordered them not to speak to members of Congress.

The instruction came from the acting Secretary for Health and Human Services, Norris Cochran, in a memo sent to leaders of government agencies.

He wrote: “No correspondence to public officials (e.g., members of Congress, governors)... unless specifically authorized by me or my designee, shall be sent between now and Feb. 3, during which time you will have the opportunity to brief President Trump’s appointees and designees on any such correspondence which might be issued”.

It led Democrats to accuse the new administration of illegal “gagging” government employees and preventing them talking to elected representatives.

Elijah Cummings, a congressman representing Maryland, wrote to new White House chief lawyer Donald F. McGahn II to express concern.

He said: “The Trump administration has issued restrictions at multiple agencies on employee communications, including, in some instances, communications with Congress.

“These directives appear to violate a host of federal laws.”

Mr Cochran was later forced to clarify his initial instructions, saying the memo “should not be interpreted or implemented in any way that would preclude or in any way interfere with our HHS staff addressing their concerns to their elected representatives in person or in writing.”

The initial note was sent to staff on 20 January and claimed restrictions on communication were needed to allow Mr Trump’s appointees to “review and approve any new or pending regulations of guidance documents”.

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US laws are designed to allow open communication between government employees and members of Congress. One even makes such openness a condition of agencies receiving funding.

It comes as leaked notices reveal staff at a number of other agencies have been hit with similar restrictions.

The Environmental Protection Agency was banned from “providing updates on social media or to reporters”, while the Department for Agriculture (USDA) team responsible for climate change research was told not to release “any public-facing documents” including “news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content”..

A USDA spokesperson later admitted the memo was “flawed”. They said: “This internal email was released without departmental direction, and prior to departmental guidance being issued”.

The department was “committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public”, they added.

The Department for Transportation had earlier been told not to “publish news releases or engage on social media accounts”.