Nick Hart, Ph.D.

The Data Foundation reaffirms its commitment to supporting the integrity and independence of America’s federal statistical system. Recent events underscore the importance of the institutional and legal safeguards that protect the objectivity of federal statistics and serve the American people and economy. Statistical independence is not dependent on any single individual but is built into the system itself through robust policies, procedures, legal frameworks, and the culture and people of the statistical system. The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act), signed into law by President Trump on January 14, 2019, established comprehensive protections for statistical agencies. Building on this foundation, the Office of Management and Budget’s Public Trust Rule—a regulation required by the Evidence Act—codifies four fundamental responsibilities for statistical agencies: producing timely information, conducting credible and accurate activities, maintaining objectivity, and protecting data provider confidentiality. We have confidence that federal statistical products retain their fidelity to those principles.

6. Data Foundation's @nickhartphd.bsky.social‬ says the independence of the U.S. federal statistical system "is not dependent on any single individual but is built into the system itself through robust policies, procedures, legal frameworks, and the culture and people of the statistical system"

My statement on the termination of the BLS commissioner and other comments about federal statistics in recent days: datafoundation.org/news/press-r...

Appreciate the feature by @forbes.com Tech Council alongside other #ai experts this month! forbes.com/councils/for...

White House names new official to oversee federal statistical system Mark Calabria is now the Trump administration’s chief statistician, replacing Karin Orvis.

White House names new official to oversee federal statistical system. Mark Calabria is now the Trump administration’s chief statistician, replacing Karin Orvis. via @madialder.bsky.social fedscoop.com/white-house-...

Congratulations to Mark Calabria on being named Chief Statistician of the United States. This critical role coordinates the 16 federal statistical agencies and implements the Public Trust Rule from the #EvidenceAct. Statement --> datafoundation.org/news/press-r...

What does the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) mean for federal data? We tried to answer that in a new explainer from the Data Foundation. More --> datafoundation.org/news/blogs/6...

NEW: The Data Foundation is hiring for two key roles:

🔹 Director/Sr Director, Center for Data Policy- lnkd.in/eNVmHF-R
🔹 Manager/Director, Communications- lnkd.in/eQgj3rFZ

We're looking for folks who are passionate about data and using evidence to improve society.

#Hiring #DataPolicy #OpenData

Today @ 12 p.m. ET -- free virtual event highlighting new report on “Increasing Accessibility to Trusted Climate Performance Data.” Join our Climate Data Collaborative team -- and the Stanford team. 🌎RSVP: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#ClimateData #OpenData #SDG #ESG #Regtech

🚗 "Input Isolationism"—fixating on cutting costs while ignoring outcomes—is killing data strategies and more.
Following my ASPA keynote, my new Forbes piece explores how this creates blind spots & shares strategies to reconnect inputs with results. --> www.forbes.com/councils/for...

Government Isn't Wagyu - It's BBQ, and You Need to Know Your Cuts As a Kansas City native who takes BBQ seriously, I am struck by Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar's recent comment that government has "started to resemble a finely marbled wagyu" that needs trimming by the D...

Memorial Day thoughts : Great BBQ & governance both need patience, expertise, and doing it right the first time (as my veteran dad says). Read about using data over cuts in the dark - using Kansas City BBQ logic! www.linkedin.com/pulse/govern...
#MemorialDay #PublicPolicy #BBQ #KansasCity

DOGE created a 'survey of surveys' for a push to cut some government data collection DOGE's push to cut some federal surveys conducted by the Census Bureau may be duplicating a White House agency's oversight work and weaken U.S. data infrastructure, experts warn.

My latest @npr.org story: A new push by the Trump administration’s DOGE team to cut some federal surveys conducted by the Census Bureau may be duplicating a White House agency’s oversight work and weaken U.S. data infrastructure, experts warn

The Data Foundation calls for attention from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and congressional oversight committees to: Conduct a review of statistical agency activities that have altered data collections in 2025, encouraging a transparent mechanism for documenting changes to Information Collection Requests under the Paperwork Reduction Act Request that the OMB Director and Chief Statistician of the United States issue an immediate memo to federal departments and agencies to halt implementation of recommendations that conflict with the Public Trust rule for statistical collections until a comprehensive review can be completed by designated statistical officials Provide transparency to the public about any changes to statistical data or methodologies, consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act and OMB's pledge to adopt "radical transparency,” which has been supported by the Data Foundation

5. UPDATE: @nickhartphd.bsky.social of the Data Foundation, an open data advocacy group, says "DOGE interventions in the federal statistical system without transparency are concerning and may undermine the availability of future data..."
datafoundation.org/news/press-r...

DOGE Tweet: / END

E.g., this post mentions BJS's Survey of Inmates in Local Jails & the
@deptofdefense.govmirrors.com's Ask U.S. Panel. These collections received public comment and changes should also involve feedback from the public and data users.

#OpenData #EvidenceAct #CIPSEA #Statistics

The collections should always be reviewed, but we should resist saying a single question means a collection is not worthwhile or useful to decision-makers and researchers.

There is much more to understanding why national-scale data are collected and what surveys are useful, and always more than merely the number of questions and the pages of text involved. DOGE seems to currently be reviewing interagency agreements that implicate the entirety of the fed stat system.

Protocol for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse: Methods and Standards, Version 2.0 The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), oversees the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse (Pathways to Work). ACF seeks co...

HHS-ACF seeking comments on new RFI -- "Protocol for the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse: Methods and Standards" www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

The @data_foundation is still collecting videos of data stories (and written stories too!). Submit a video today to help us tell the story about why data matters to our society! More here --> vocalvideo.com/c/data-found...

New -- A summary of remarks at the @AGACGFM #PDT25 this week with the 1500 virtual attendees! datafoundation.org/news/blogs/6...

The data infrastructure, ethical frameworks, and culture of evidence-informed policymaking you've fostered will continue serving Americans long after your departure.

We see you, we appreciate you, and we remain committed to carrying forward your important work./END

Your expertise and institutional knowledge are invaluable, and there is tremendous opportunity to encourage continued engagement and support for the American people in building on that knowledge. /4

As members of the data, statistics, privacy, science, and evidence communities, you've built evidence-informed governance that delivers real value. The collaborative networks you've established across agencies will endure. /3

You've been the guardians of public trust, working tirelessly in supporting an effective government for the American public. The principles guiding your work – privacy, rigor, transparency, humility, and capacity – represent the best of public service./2

Today I want to pause to recognize the federal data, evaluation, science, and privacy professionals completing their service during this moment of transition. /1

For those tracking the data.gov stories: There are more open data assets available today than on Jan 20, and more than 6 months ago. This is great progress! Both transparency and useful data should remain priorities for everyone. #OpenData

Input Isolationism: The Hidden Cost of Counting Seeds Instead of Measuring Harvests linkedin.com/pulse/input-... via @linkedin.com

#aspa2025 #opendata #evidenceact #evidencebased #datafoundation #fdta… | Nick Hart, Ph.D. Six years at the Data Foundation today—a milestone that arrives during a pivotal moment for our data, evaluation, and evidence community. In this brief reflection, I share thoughts on our collective ...

Today is my 6 year anniversary at the Data Foundation -- quite the journey, and more to come. Onward! www.linkedin.com/posts/nickrh...

Will see what we can do!

The Data Foundation responded to the White House's new Executive Order on "Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos" with recommendations for both the Office of Management and Budget and congressional oversight committees: Statement here: datafoundation.org/news/press-r...

At the Forefront of Climate Transparency: Key Takeaways from Today's XBRL US Roundtable Today, I joined industry leaders at the XBRL US, Inc. "Global Climate Reporting: Corporate Roundtable" to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of climate disclosure requirements.

At the Forefront of Climate Transparency: Key Takeaways from Today's XBRL US Roundtable www.linkedin.com/pulse/forefr... via @LinkedIn