VIDEO: Ensuring the Future of Federal Data

The federal government's massive data collections, a critical national resource, are under attack from the Trump administration. Federal agencies have already removed thousands of web pages and datasets following the president’s directives on DEI, climate change, and “gender ideology,” and other data collections may be altered to align with political agendas.

While dozens of organizations have successfully downloaded, archived, and made available deleted data, the nation's future data is at risk. The Trump administration, as well as future administrations, may discontinue, modify, or alter many critical data collections in ways that could significantly hinder research, knowledge, and social progress. This panel discussed the risks to federal data and explored various ways to address these risks, including advocacy, litigation, legislation, monitoring, and the development of new data sources.