The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shut out media from a meeting led by chief Scott Pruitt who discussed the widespread level of contaminants in drinking water.
Mr Pruitt has said the issue is a "national priority” but EPA spokesperson Jahan Wilcox barred reporters from entering and reporting about it, saying that the media were not invited, according to the Associated Press.
When the news agency’s reporter asked to speak to a public affairs person, the security guards grabbed the reporter by the shoulders and shoved her forcibly out of the building, she reported.
Others shut out included CNN, the environmental-focused news organisation E&E, and MLive, a Michigan-based news outlet.
He did not specify which media outlets were allowed into the room.
It was also not immediately clear whether reporters who were asked to leave the building at the agency’s headquarters in Washington DC, had access to the livestream or whether it was only available in an adjacent room.
The mayor also commented that he noticed a theme throughout the day’s sessions which he attended: “the need for funding” and the “desire for national leadership” on eliminating or reducing these contaminants.
Mr Pruitt also pledged to work on establishing a maximum allowable level for the chemicals in drinking water.
While state representatives, the chemical industry, and environmental groups were allowed to enter the meeting room and even tweet about it.
The Michigan city of Flint has been dealing with massive amounts of lead in its drinking water for nearly four years, causing health and developmental problems in children in particular and forcing several residents to resort to bottled water for all their needs or move out of the community.