Federal Web Changes under the Current Administration: Erasing Identity, Evading Injunctions, and Reducing Data Access

• In Event: Impacts of a First, and now Second, Trump Administration

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of executive orders on the accessibility of federal data by documenting the alteration and removal of government web pages and data access. My analysis highlights a systematic removal of resources, defiance of a federal court order, and a worrying change in access to Health and Human Services data. These observations signal a deterioration in evidence-based governance commitments and highlight the critical need for archival initiatives to safeguard sensitive data, thus preserving the integrity of research and policy development amidst government suppression.

In light of significant upheavals affecting the structure, staffing, and operations of government agencies, I systematically examine changes to the federal web content through webscraping and content analysis of changes during the first month of the current administration. Specifically, I ask in response to the federal transition, a deadline issued via administrative memo, and a federal court injunction: RQ 1: How widespread are changes to web pages and data availability across federal agencies since inauguration day? RQ 2: Did the removal of online resources continue following the administrative deadline? RQ3: Have specified web pages and datasets been restored following the federal court order deadline?

Using a multi-method framework, I catalogue the scope and regularity of online modifications across major federal agency websites, employing an established conceptual content analysis. Examining 1,000 individual web pages (URLs) through web scaping, I focus on URLs managed by the Department of Education (N = 211), the National Institutes of Health (N = 93), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (N = 90). Anticipating quick changes to federal resources, I initiated monitoring of these URLs before January 20, 2025, conducting daily web scrapes to compare each URL against 1) its most recent previous version and 2) its version before January 20. Concurrently, I tracked the daily accessibility of public datasets via a federal data repository.

While I intend to extend my analysis to the first 100 days of the Trump administration by the Fall conference, over the first month of this federal administration, my findings include: 1) documenting over nine hundred individual alterations to monitored URLs, with more than 200 data, site, and page removals, 2) identifying a decline in data availability exclusively within the Department of Health and Human Services, and 3) noting the failure of Health and Human Services to comply with a federal court order mandating the restoration of data access and web content.

The focused removal of content by the Department of Health and Human Services highlights a selective strategy in resource modification concerning sexuality and gender, reflecting federal policies that favor ideological positions over scientific consensus. The ongoing changes in web content and data availability extend beyond the immediate loss of data. They indicate a retreat from the government’s commitment to evidence-based policy-making. This is especially concerning in fields critical to public policy, health, and education, where data integrity and availability are essential for high-quality research and directly impact the efficacy of services and interventions provided to the public.

Author

• Benjamin Lebovitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Presenting Author