Assessing the First 50 Days: Rapid Response to Policy-Driven Uncertainty

At the start of 2025, changes in federal policy are transforming public health organizations. In response to the need to understand how new governmental mandates are affecting public health organizations and their community partners, The Center for Black Health and Equity (The Center) — a nationally recognized public health organization dedicated to advancing the lives and health of the African diaspora community, have partnered with Rockman et al Cooperative (REA), a national research and evaluation firm. Together, in March 2025, The Center and REA developed and administered a survey targeting The Center’s network members and partners, including nonprofits, community-based organizations, public sector workers, and health leaders nationwide. In total, we surveyed 136 partners and employees across various sectors to understand their immediate experiences during the first 50 days of the current federal administration. We aimed to leverage research and evaluation, advocacy, and community partnership by addressing immediate threats to public health, especially as marginalized communities bear the brunt of challenges brought on by recent federal mandates and Executive Orders.

Sectors Under Pressure: What the Survey Data Reveal

The survey results reveal a picture of a public health sector already operating under strain, now further under siege, and facing unprecedented challenges. Key challenges amongst many cited by respondents included:

● Freezes or cuts in government contracts supporting key health services,
● Loss of access to critical health data,
● Elimination and censorship of DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) initiatives, and
● Ongoing legal and policy shifts.

According to respondents, these factors have severely disrupted the continuity and growth of essential public health programs and community outreach efforts. The findings revealed some extremely disturbing trends. The severity of funding loss and disruptions to programs and services due, in large part, to the Executive Orders and other federal mandates is profound. In fact, since the initial spate of Executive Orders, the Administration has continued its ability to disrupt public health through other means (e.g., funding cuts at federal agencies, limiting access to health-related datasets, firing and downsizing of health professionals and researchers). These unforeseen disruptions are affecting staffing, program continuity, and organizations’ strategic direction. As one respondent noted:

“It feels like the administration is dismantling and erasing decades of research, data, and documented need for what we still have yet to achieve!”

Strategies for Adaptation

Despite facing real existential threats to their missions, messaging, and programs, many organizations remain grounded in purpose, continuing to find ways to serve their communities. Even under duress, programs are adapting. Many are reframing their work without abandoning it. Organizations responding to the survey have adopted various strategies to address the introduction of these new Executive Orders and other federal mandates. Key strategies include:

● Adjusting messaging: 46% reported adjusting private/internal messaging to partners, clients, or staff.
● Exploring alternative funding: 45% of respondents are implementing new and diverse capital campaigns as a key organizational strategy.
● Legal guidance: 39% of respondent organizations are seeking legal advice on program and funding restrictions.
● Strengthening collaborations: 39% of respondents are strengthening or forming new coalitions, partnerships, or collaborations to enhance their collective response to the challenges posed by the new policies.

From Risk Mitigation to Movement Building: Support Needs

Organizations expressed a need for several forms of support to navigate the current political climate effectively. These included:

● Assistance in “real-time interpretation” of the Executive Orders and other federal mandates.
● Support in crafting integrated advocacy and policy strategies.
● Greater access to “values-aligned funding” with an emphasis on the need for unrestricted and reliable financial support to continue serving Black and marginalized communities effectively.
● Strategies for developing communication and alternative messaging to partners, stakeholders, and funders.
● Legal support and risk mitigation, as many organizations are worried about the legal risks associated with continuing equity-centered work under the new orders.

The Path Forward: Standing Together for Health Justice

The public health community is currently navigating an unprecedented period of uncertainty and crisis, driven in large part by decisions stemming from the federal government’s Executive Orders from January of this year and other federal mandates. Events resulting from these federal Administrative actions have already significantly disrupted the operations and morale of organizations, from small local nonprofits to state agencies, ultimately affecting the health and well-being of the communities they serve.

However, this is not solely a matter of Executive Orders. The administration has continued to expand and intensify its assault on public health through a range of additional actions, including agency-level rollbacks, funding eliminations, the silencing and elimination of equity-focused data collection, continued loss of access to health-related datasets, and coordinated legal and political attacks on long-standing public health protections. These efforts amount to a sweeping and strategic undermining of the public health infrastructure that we once knew, particularly for communities that have long faced health disparities.

The scale, scope, and complexity of the current challenges have underscored the urgent need for cross-sector collaboration and real-time data collection to support informed decision-making at every level of organizational leadership. As a result, we believe now is the time to strengthen alliances, clearly articulate shared values, and mobilize collective action to safeguard public health equity. The stakes have never been higher, and collective responses must match the urgency of this moment.

To learn more about The Center for Black Health & Equity, visit: centerforblackhealth.org. To learn more about Rockman et al Cooperative, visit: rockman.com