First the National Park Service was banned from using social media because one Park Service Twitter account dared to retweet images showing Trump’s less-than-stellar inaugural crowd. Then the EPA was blocked from all forms of external communication. The research arm of the USDA was the next to go behind the Trump Curtain. And it seems that this glittery gilt wall of silence is not just spreading, but even cutting off communication with Congress.

Multiple federal agencies have told their employees to cease communications with members of Congress and the press, sources have told The Huffington Post. The freeze has startled aides on the Hill and people at those agencies, who worry that it could abruptly upend current operations and stifle work and discussions that routinely take place between branches of government.

Behind the Trump Curtain, science is being stiffed, grants are being halted, and programs that are dependent on communication with state and local officials are being frozen.

By locking Congress out, the Trump regime isn’t just denying them information that can be used for legislation or evaluating the effectiveness of agencies; they are also cutting off the ability of Congress to act as an agent for constituents who need help navigating the complexity of agencies.

The barriers are turning Trump’s government into a black box, making it impossible to see how policy changes are being implemented.