WASHINGTON — While turbulence under Trump was anticipated, the administration's abrupt and sweeping freeze on federal healthcare communications this week caught even seasoned communicators off guard.

“Health agencies are not just bureaucratic entities; they guide doctors, nurses, patients, and families in making informed decisions,” said Gil Bashe, managing partner and global health and purpose chair at Finn Partners. “Pausing their communications creates a void where misinformation thrives and erodes public trust essential to health.”

The Trump administration wasted no time in barring agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services—including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health—from communicating with the public.

According to The Washington Post, which first reported the story, acting Health and Human Services Secretary Dorothy Fink issued the directive on Tuesday, the day after Trump’s inauguration. The order prohibited public-facing communications such as CDC scientific reports, health advisories, and data releases from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The move left individuals within the agencies “confused by the pause’s scope and indeterminate length,” the Post reported. The following day, members of outside advisory boards on issues ranging from vaccines to deafness received emails canceling their meetings, according to The New York Times.

While the story garnered some attention, it was overshadowed by other high-profile directives from Washington this week that rattled different sectors. As The Times reported, corporate leaders are grappling with “fear and confusion” stemming from Trump’s orders targeting diversity efforts, concerned about the threat of federal investigations into private businesses’ DEI policies. Meanwhile, Trump has announced plans for mass deportations, pardoned January 6 rioters, and rescinded 78 executive orders issued by Joe Biden.

Experts warn, however, that halting healthcare communications poses unique and severe dangers, potentially withholding vital information about disease outbreaks, drug safety, and other public health threats.

“Long term, effective communication at all levels—between government, the healthcare industry, and the public—is crucial for a functioning healthcare system,” said Ryan Kuresman, executive vice president and global public affairs & health policy lead at GCI Health.

“While procedural changes are expected during administrative transitions, it’s essential that HHS, CMS, and FDA be allowed to maintain their focus on evidence-based communications and predictable, regulation-guided operations. This will minimize disruption and ensure continued public health and safety,” Kuresman said.

JPA Health founder and CEO Carrie Jones is feeling the impact.

"At JPA Health, we have worked on—and continue to serve—public health programs that are administered by our nation's government. We hope the administration is able to reinstate communications quickly and we look forward to resuming our work in working both in the public and private sectors to continue building our health infrastructure and building a healthier America," Jones said.

"The health of our communities isn't about gamesmanship or politics. It’s about people and families who want to stay healthy and prevent disease. It's about moms wanting to be able to keep their kids healthy and in school, it's about parents working through emotional and mental health issues with their teenagers and it's about people like me and my husband working through aging issues with our parents," she said.

PR leaders also said the erosion of public trust in institutions that are now silenced compounds the issue.

“Starting in 2020 with the pandemic and questions about the efficacy of vaccines and masking, ‘official’ sources in government were undermined and, in some cases, proven wrong,” said Paul Keckley, principal at The Keckley Group, a healthcare research and advisory firm. “Science has always been a dynamic domain where discovery produces changes in how diseases are defined and treated. But in this era of partisan brinksmanship, misinformation fueled by social media has left a significant and growing proportion of society distrusting agencies like the CDC, FDA, and NIH, perceiving them as biased or commercially influenced.”

And public health issues wait for no one.

“Health crises don’t pause for reviews. Whether it’s flu season, the opioid epidemic, or a new infectious disease, health providers and the public depend on consistent and credible information. Every moment without it jeopardizes lives,” Bashe said. “Health communication is not just about delivering messages—it’s about delivering care.”

Unlock Health CEO Brandon Edwards, however, cautioned against "jumping to negative conclusions" about the new administration's moves.

"t will be interesting to see if this 'pause' is being put in place to give some time for personnel to be positioned, or if this signals something broader and longer term," Edwards said. "However, I think the politicization of health information coming out of the federal government could be scary if it comes to fruition. 

"It seems to me that health and healthcare are now affected by the same 'post-truth era' dynamics we’ve seen in nearly every other industry and every aspect of public life.  The idea that there are two sides (or three or four) to every health issue just isn’t true — there is often real science involved and lives at stake.  This is the time for the entire industry to focus on facts, data, and proof — not just politics and perception," he said.