Trump escalates war on federal data

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to exert control over federal data, with agencies altering how they gather and disseminate information. Politics and ideology are increasingly influencing data collection and publication across various departments. Reliable data is crucial for numerous government functions, from distributing benefits to enforcing workplace discrimination laws and responding to public health threats.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently asked the CDC director to remove a reference to two deaths in Pennsylvania from the agency's online measles case tally. This move followed a social media feud between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who accused each other of politicizing the deaths. Kennedy is known for his skepticism towards vaccines.

The Commerce Department has also removed language from its scientific integrity policy that barred political interference. This change came after the bureau released an unauthored report claiming that 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election. The report's authors had ties to the Trump-linked America First Institute.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) plans to stop collecting data used to investigate workplace discrimination claims. The agency is discontinuing the EEO-1 reports, which provide demographic information on companies' workforces broken down by race, ethnicity, sex, and job title. This move follows a Trump administration crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with an EEOC commissioner alleging that data collection burdens employers and leads to discrimination against white workers.

Former U.S. chief data scientist Denice Ross, a 25-year veteran in the field, expressed concern over the level of politicization in the current administration. She stated that it was the most extreme example she had encountered in her career. Ross emphasized that data is often overlooked, like infrastructure, until it is no longer available.

Other Trump administration actions include the Department of Homeland Security halting the publication of comprehensive immigration enforcement statistics, and the elimination of 38 datasets and alterations to hundreds more since the administration took office. The White House maintains that the administration is committed to providing accurate and relevant data for meaningful research, discourse, and decision-making.