Data Foundation Marks First Anniversary of Evidence Act’s Public Trust Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 10, 2025 – On the first anniversary of the White House Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) finalization of the Public Trust Rule required by Title 3 of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, signed by President Trump, Data Foundation President and CEO Nick Hart, Ph.D., issued the following statement:

"One year ago today, OMB announced the final Public Trust Rule about government data—a key regulation required by the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act that President Trump signed into law in 2019. This anniversary marks an important moment for the data community to reflect on progress and recommit to the rule’s effective implementation across the federal government.

The Public Trust Rule codifies four fundamental responsibilities for federal statistical agencies: producing timely information, conducting credible and accurate activities, maintaining objectivity, and protecting confidentiality. These principles are a foundation for trustworthy federal data that Americans and businesses rely on every day. The core principles of the Federal Statistical System in the Public Trust Rule remain essential to maintaining the independence and credibility of statistics produced by agencies like the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the National Center for Health Statistics.

The Data Foundation continues to strongly support effective implementation of the Public Trust Rule and the Federal Statistical System it governs. As stated earlier this year by the Data Foundation, statistical independence is built into the system itself through robust policies, procedures, legal frameworks, and the dedicated career professionals who uphold rigorous scientific principles. The Public Trust Rule provides vital tools to reinforce this system's ability to operate with the integrity necessary to produce objective statistics.

The true measure of this regulation’s success will be in its implementation at the agency level, where it must foster meaningful collaboration among Chief Data Officers, Chief AI Officers, Evaluation Officers, Statistical Officials, Privacy Officers, and other key data leaders to achieve the comprehensive, government-wide approach to evidence-building that the Evidence Act envisioned.

The Trump Administration's National AI Action Plan released in July 2025 directly reinforces the urgency of this work. The AI Action Plan calls for finalizing overdue OMB regulations under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) on data accessibility—regulations that will break down data silos while maintaining strong privacy protections to create AI-ready datasets. The Administration's regulatory agenda similarly prioritizes these CIPSEA regulations. The Data Foundation strongly supports accelerating and completing implementation of the Evidence Act, which will enable the secure, privacy-preserving data sharing necessary for AI-accelerated scientific discovery while upholding the statistical system's fundamental responsibilities.

As we mark the first anniversary of the Public Trust Rule, the Data Foundation calls on federal agencies, including both parent agencies and their statistical agencies, to move forward on implementation. All agency leaders must maintain the highest standards of integrity and confidentiality, as required by the Public Trust Rule, while actively integrating the rule’s principles into their operations, ensuring adequate resources for statistical activities as well as efforts that support the production of high-quality administrative data, and embracing the innovation necessary to meet evolving data demands, including AI applications. 

The Data Foundation advocated for broad awareness and robust implementation of the Public Trust Rule from day one. We remain committed to working with OMB, U.S. Chief Statistician Mark Calabria, federal agencies, Congress, and our Data Coalition members to ensure this important data regulation achieves its full potential in strengthening public trust in federal data, supporting the federal statistical system's independence and relevance, advancing the Administration's AI objectives, and enabling evidence-informed policymaking for all Americans."

To support broader understanding of the Public Trust Rule and its implementation, the Data Foundation will host a joint webinar, "Understanding the Public Trust Rule: What It Is, What It Means, and Where We Are in 2025" on October 29, 2025, from 1-2 pm ET.

Registration details are available at www.datafoundation.org.

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About the Data Foundation

The Data Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that champions the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy to make society better for everyone. As a nonpartisan think tank, we conduct research, collaborative thought leadership, and advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data. Our activities proactively address emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation is recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and received 4-Stars from Charity Navigator. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org. (LEI: 254900I43CTC59RFW495)