On Friday, the president fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, after accusing her of deliberately reporting false numbers. Politicizing federal data undermines the integrity of the federal statistical system that has served the country for nearly 150 years. Multiple organizations have issued statements condemning Dr. McEntarfer’s dismissal and calling on Congress to respond immediately:
Here are some other highlights from the Federal Data Forum during the past month:
- Federal Statistical System Under Stress - ASA released a status report documenting "data reductions, delayed reports, and potential political interference" across federal agencies, with concerns about objectivity and perception of statistical integrity.
- American Time Use Survey (ATUS) Under Threat - Partners at APDU, dataindex.us, and PRB hosted a rapid response webinar on July 9 to encourage the data community to submit public comments in support of renewing the American Time Use Survey.
- Need for Data-Related Executive Order Tracking - A community member identified data provisions hidden in Executive Orders (like wildfire AI/data sharing mandates and satellite dataset declassification) but hasn’t found a comprehensive tracking resource.
- 332 Federal Websites Targeted for Elimination – The GSA identified hundreds of government websites being targeted for elimination including vaccines.cdc.gov, with SBA planning to eliminate over half its sites and HHS cutting 7% of its web presence.
- #SaveOurSigns National Parks Campaign – The Data Rescue Project launched a community effort to photograph and archive National Park signage before the September 17, 2025 deadline when content deemed "inappropriately disparaging" will be removed per Executive Order 14253.
- Widespread Federal Data Manipulation Documented – A Lancet study showed that 49% of 232 federal datasets that they reviewed were altered, with 93% involving "gender" to "sex" terminology changes and 87% of modifications occurring without proper documentation.
- New Chief Statistician Appointed - Mark Calabria replaced Karin Orvis as Chief Statistician, with Orvis reassigned to lead the Statistical and Science Policy branch within OIRA.
- USDA SNAP Fraud Monitoring System Raises Privacy Concerns – A new national database will track SNAP recipients using social security numbers, addresses, and transaction data with broad federal sharing provisions.
- Education Research "Staggered by Trump Cuts" – New reporting highlights staffing shortages at Department of Education, affecting college operations and broader education research capacity.
- AI Action Plan Assigns New Roles to Statistical Agencies – The White House plans to tap BLS, Census Bureau, and BEA to help study AI's labor market impact and will establish an AI Workforce Research Hub under the Department of Labor to analyze worker displacement effects.