Government Cuts and Political Interference Threaten Integrity of U.S. Statistical Data

In a disturbing trend that threatens America's foundational ability to make informed decisions, recent layoffs and buyouts within federal statistical agencies have decimated the ranks of expert statisticians — the very professionals responsible for providing reliable data on our economy, demographics, and social programs.A new report by the American Statistical Association paints a stark picture: some agencies lost upwards of 95% of their staff in less than a year during President Trump’s first term transition period. This staggering reduction not only drains institutional knowledge but also jeopardizes future data integrity at a time when reliable statistics are more critical to...