Federal public health data access reduced

Since retaking office, the Trump administration has transformed how the government collects data, cut access to previously public data, and stopped collecting some data altogether.

The numbers: The breadth of information no longer being collected or distributed has been nearly impossible to track, but researchers estimate that well over 3,000 data sets have been removed from public access.

The details:

• Substance use trends: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) laid off the team that collected data for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the 2024 survey omitted information about drug use based on race and ethnicity. The agency is reportedly working with a contractor to resume data collection.
• Emerging drugs: The Trump administration axed the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) in June, laying off the whole division that was responsible for collecting data on emerging substance use trends in emergency rooms across the country. Health care providers no longer have a comprehensive resource to learn about the new drugs that could require emergency medical responses.
• Maternal mortality: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped releasing data on maternal and infant mortality in April after the administration placed all of the staff managing the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) on administrative leave. The data collection resumed in at least some states in July, but recent data contains gaps. Mental health and substance use disorders are among the leading causes of maternal mortality.
• Gender identity: The administration removed questions on gender identity from the National Crime Victimization Survey, National Health Interview Survey, and other surveys, which homeless shelters, mental health hotlines, and SUD recovery programs all used for policymaking and planning.
• Data access: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Education, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) no longer allow researchers to apply to access and study their data.

Why it’s important: Even in instances where the administration has resumed data collection, researchers said lapses in information are making it hard to assess policy outcomes in areas like public health.

• The main point: Future policy interventions to address substance use issues will be difficult to propose without data on the issue.

Read more: Federal Data is Disappearing