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| 7 Apr 2025 | |
| Written by Carrie Myers | |
| Press Releases and Statements |
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 7th, 2025 – The Data Foundation asked the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee leadership to support our organization in seeking clarification about major changes to data governance and evaluation offices within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In a letter addressed to Chairman Bill Cassidy and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders, the Data Foundation detailed how recently eliminated or reduced capacity in HHS offices represent fundamental components of federal data infrastructure relevant for evidence-informed policymaking and statutory compliance of laws like the Privacy Act, the OPEN Government Data Act, and others.
"These eliminations [at HHS] compromise the comprehensive framework for federal agencies to leverage data as a strategic asset and build evaluation capacity," the letter states, highlighting specific concerns about the elimination of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, CDC's Center for Forecasting and Analytics, and other critical data offices.
The Data Foundation requested that upcoming oversight hearings with Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. address how HHS will maintain high-quality evidence for policy decisions, fulfill obligations under the Federal Data Strategy and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, and ensure appropriate privacy safeguards for sensitive health information.
The Data Foundation's Center for Data Policy focuses on advancing laws and regulations that enable interoperability, standards, governance, and privacy protections using a systems approach to facilitate greater coordination across policies. The Center for Evidence Capacity concentrates on ensuring the necessary resources, people, processes, and funding are in place for data and evidence to effectively inform policy implementation and decision-making.
The Data Foundation remains committed to advancing data quality and evidence-informed policymaking across government while offering technical expertise to support congressional oversight functions.
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About the Data Foundation
The Data Foundation is a Washington, DC-based, non-profit, non-partisan organization. It is a trusted authority on the use of open, accessible data to fuel a more efficient, effective, and accountable government; spark innovation; and provide insights to the country's most pressing challenges. It conducts research, facilitates collaborative thought leadership, and promotes advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data and evidence. The Data Foundation is recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and by Charity Navigator as a 4-Star non-profit. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org. (LEI: 254900I43CTC59RFW495)
