The Challenges Ahead for Federal Data: Insights from Recent Media Coverage

Among the sweeping changes underway in the federal government, changes across federal agencies responsible for measuring household circumstances are receiving less attention. While early alarms sounded as relied upon data sources were removed from many federal websites, some of the data is restored and there are many robust efforts by third-parties to preserve this data – see the Data Rescue Project for a comprehensive list and updates. The purging of existing data from public federal statistical agencies was a clear, observable threat to data access, but what is less tangible is how the multitude of changes in administrative policy and reductions in agency personnel today will impact the availability of federal statistical data going forward.

In the absence of clear and informative official communications, media reporting is the best information we have to track ongoing changes within and across federal statistical agencies, and how the vast catalog of previously reliable public federal data – particularly   data critical for understanding household need here in Hawai‘i and across the country – may be impacted over the longer term. As we continue to monitor the situation and plan our response to support those in Hawai‘i who will be impacted by the absence of this data, we wanted to share recent reporting that is helping us anticipate the shape of things to come.

Recent Media Coverage

ProPublica recently provided an overview of the types of statistics that are a regular part of the local and national dialogue on issues of importance - providing trends over time, highlighting concerning or unexpected findings, and serving as the foundation for actions taken by decision makers. It is hard to overstate how pervasive robust, non-partisan federal agency data and analyses are from routine weather data, to tracking concerning educational outcome trends following the pandemic, to the statistics informing our understanding of public health threats.  This piece provides an accessible overview of this data, the agencies responsible for collecting and housing this data, and recent changes that will likely limit agencies’ data responsibilities going forward.

National Public Radio reported on significant changes at the Census Bureau, the data of which is not only critical for planning and understanding the composition of households and communities in Hawai‘i and across the country, but is used for apportioning states’ seats in the House of Representatives and serves as the basis for the distribution of federal funds across state and local governments. Noting historical challenges with funding, staffing, and the increasing difficulty in collecting data, the piece describes departures of division chiefs, vacancies on committees essential to the mission of the organization, and the general loss of experienced staff from early retirement and voluntary separation offers. Recent changes have already affected the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse survey, and preparation for the 2030 census count.

One familiar calculation reported by the Census is the poverty rate, which is based on the Official Poverty Measure used to determine eligibility thresholds for benefits programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. U.S. News and World Report discovered that the entire team within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) responsible for updating programmatic poverty guidelines has been dismissed – part of the 20,000 positions the department recently announced it will be eliminating. This is one small function under an agency that oversees an immense amount of critical data collection, analysis, and reporting across a range of health and safety issues. A recent Politico article lists nearly a dozen data-collection functions with DHHS, on issues such as sexual violence, pregnancy risks, and alcohol-related deaths, that have been eliminated due to lay-offs. The reporting makes no claim to a comprehensive accounting, as there are likely many more functions that have also been curtailed or eliminated.

An Urgent Need to Strengthen Local Capacities

It is undeniable that the deep, structural changes at the federal level will have profound negative impacts on the data landscape here in Hawai‘i. In our years of work providing data capacity support to frontline service providers, government, and philanthropy, federal data has consistently been foundational, alongside local sources, in developing strategies and defining priorities for supporting households across the state. If the trends reported on above continue – without significant measures to strengthen local data capacities in government and across community-based organizations – local leaders will have much less data to understand, plan, and respond to the needs of our most vulnerable communities.