Trump Targets Federal Data Sources, Threatening Statistics Used by 330 Million Americans
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 15
Trump Targets Federal Data Sources, Threatening Statistics Used by 330 Million Americans
4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 15
Federal data systems are the latest target of President Trump’s agenda, with the report arguing his administration is trying to undermine the government’s core statistical machinery.
Those data sources underpin information on jobs, prices, health, population and other measures that shape decisions by policymakers, businesses and households across the U.S.
The report frames the effort as a broader “war on data,” warning that weakening the world’s most important public statistical source would carry consequences far beyond Washington.
At stake is the reliability of numbers used by roughly 330 million Americans, making the fight over federal data a governance issue as much as a political one.
When America cuts funding for global data, who fills the void and what are the consequences for developing nations?
As federal agencies combine our data, what new safeguards protect us from massive breaches and misuse?
How will unreliable data create 'AI blind spots,' leading to flawed automated decisions affecting our lives?