Federal Data Users

Hello federal data supporters! I hope everyone has been faring okay during the lengthy government shutdown. Here are some recent highlights from Forum members during October: 

• ASA Citizen Science Initiative: The American Statistical Association is recruiting volunteers to monitor changes in federal statistical data products starting October 2025, with check-ins every 3-4 months to track shifts in data quality and availability.
• Government Shutdown Impact: The government shutdown affected public data access, with minimal new data collection occurring and very little reporting, though the public can still submit comments to Federal Register notices.
• Census Website Issues: The data.census.gov website experienced problems displaying tables and downloads, attributed to shutdown-related disruptions.
• HUD Surveys at Risk: HUD issued requests for information on the Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) and Survey of Market Absorption (SOMA), suggesting both may be eliminated.
• Datasets Memorial Project: A collaborative effort collected submissions of terminated or removed federal datasets to publish "memorials" on Halloween 2025.
• ACS Data Release Uncertainty: The release of ACS data was delayed due to the government shutdown.