1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

Recent reporting by the Guardian outlines how the Trump regime deleted and removed important data that has long been collected across federal agencies following a blueprint laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Much of that information provided crucial facts for the public, researchers, and policymakers to evaluate how Americans’ needs were being met, which areas were opportunities for improvement, and how programs meant to help Americans actually work. With the erasure of this taxpayer funded data, we don’t know any of this. Moreover, Congress’s ability to provide oversight is impaired by this deliberate attack on our public data. Congress must legislate against this kind of sabotage of our national knowledge base. Every smart decision begins with understanding what is happening so that we can target a solution to the facts as they are. Pass legislation to depoliticize our federal databases, ensuring that they are maintained by professionals working in related fields and protected from political interference. Variables must be considered and included based on the data requirements of states and federal regulations, not the whims of the executive. Anything less leaves Congress unable to provide their constitutionally required oversight.