Over the past month or so, I have been re-watching The West Wing. Although the show often depicts a White House that verges on utopian and the President’s integrity approaches disbelief, many scenes evoke a sense of pride in the political process and the power of bipartisan government.
While I was writing this piece about the importance of data, I watched the scene on the importance of federal reports from the episode The Stackhouse Filibuster. While a lot of federal spending goes to reporting that can feel trivial, the importance of high-quality reporting and reliable data is imperative to sound decision making.
I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this topic.
In order to make accurate, timely decisions it is critical to maintain high quality data. According to a Forbes article from October 2024, “The outcomes of decisions made with incorrect data can be substantial.” While this article focuses on businesses rather than public data, the consequences of losing important data in the public sector are significant.
In the beginning of August, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the heels of a weak jobs report for the month of July, claiming that the numbers were rigged for political reasons despite presenting no evidence for that claim. E.J. Antoni, who has been a frequent critic of BLS data, has been nominated to serve as the new head of the department.
In addition to firing the head of BLS, the President has also fired a governor of the Federal Reserve, Lisa Cook, claiming she committed mortgage fraud. Currently, the firing is on hold as an appeals court ruled she cannot be fired while the legal process continues to play out. Meanwhile, it seems bank documents cast doubt on the administration’s claims of mortgage fraud.
In addition to these major headlines, the administration has cut expert committees on economics, cut data collection efforts, considered excluding government spending in GDP, and cut data collection related to inflation.
These cuts and unsubstantiated claims cast doubt on the legitimacy of important American economic data.
The administration has also looked to cut collection for weather and climate data.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced they would stop reporting on key data used to forecast hurricanes. The administration has also cut back on weather balloon launches which are used for weather modeling and forecasting nationwide and has removed numerous weather satellites from future launch plans while reducing the capabilities of those to be launched.
A NOAA website, climate.gov, one of the most prominent government sources for climate data, was shut down after the entire staff was eliminated. Despite being mandated by Congress, the Trump administration has also stopped producing the National Climate Assessments and two satellites that monitor the climate are set to be decommissioned despite being in working order.
Cuts to weather and climate data collection will hurt the accuracy of weather forecasters in emergencies.
A budget proposal from the Trump Administration aimed to cut funding for the CDC by over 50%. Cuts made so far this year have impacted numerous health programs nationwide, including tracking lead poisoning in children and surveys for teenage drug use and mental health. In total, it seems 146 datasets have been scrubbed from CDC monitoring.
Reducing access to health data makes it harder for Americans to make personal decisions regarding their health outcomes, and harder for doctors to make informed recommendations.
There is unequivocally merit in a thorough examination of what congressional appropriations ultimately fund, including reports and data. Even the scene from the West Wing has a mandated report on a program that no longer exists, but questioning the veracity of data and wholesale cuts without input from the people who use the data risks significant consequences.
Reliable, consistent, high-quality data is the foundation of sound decision making.
Sources:
“The West Wing” The Stackhouse Filibuster (TV Episode 2001) – IMDb
The Importance Of Data Quality: Metrics That Drive Business Success
Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after dismal employment report | PBS News
Jobs report July 2025: U.S. added just 73,000 jobs, prior months revised much lower
Who is E.J. Antoni, Trump’s pick to lead the BLS? – ABC News
Concerns grow about Trump’s controversial BLS pick
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/25/trump-fires-lisa-cook-fed-powell.html
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/28/business/mortgage-fraud-faq-occupancy-fraud
Trump administration disbands two expert panels on economic data | Reuters
‘Survival mode’: Concerns over economic data quality mount amid cuts – POLITICO
Trump administration may change how GDP is calculated amid DOGE cuts | AP News
Inflation data threatened by government hiring freeze as tariffs loom | AP News
ospo.noaa.gov/data/messages/2025/06/MSG_20250625_1735.html
With fewer weather balloons flying, forecasts may be less accurate
Weather Balloon Cuts Raise Alarm: ‘Not a Good Sign’ – Newsweek
Trump admin strips ocean and air pollution monitoring from next-gen weather satellites | CNN
climate website employees laid off : NPR
National Climate Assessment – Wikipedia
Inside the federal government’s purge of climate data | Vox
Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs
CDC’s childhood lead program is still defunct, despite Kennedy’s claims
STAT tracks CDC data for words barred by Trump executive orders