Data for the People!
Every day, millions of Americans rely on federal data—often without realizing it. From checking the weather forecast to planning retirement, from tracking disease outbreaks to measuring economic growth, government datasets power decisions that shape our daily lives and drive billions in economic activity.
Data for the People! is a new podcast from the Data Foundation that shines a light on this essential but often overlooked infrastructure. Hosted by J.B. Wogan, each episode features conversations with leaders from the public and private sectors about the national datasets that belong to the American people and the policy changes in Washington that could enable—or limit—their use.
Data for the People!
Bill Hoagland on Restoring Public Trust in Government Data
In the inaugural episode of Data for the People!, J.B. Wogan (host) and Nick Hart (President and CEO of the Data Foundation) discuss the Data Foundation's mission to promote open data and evidence-informed policymaking. They introduce Bill Hoagland, Senior Vice President at the Bipartisan Policy Center, who talks about the federal government's use of data and evidence for decision-making and strategies to rebuild public trust in government and scientific institutions. Hoagland reflects on his experiences with the Congressional Budget Office, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the Senate Budget Committee, highlighting the evolving data infrastructure and the importance of objective, high-quality information in public policy. The episode also discusses key national data sets and federal initiatives like the Evidence Act aimed at improving the data ecosystem.
[IMPORTANT TIMESTAMP: The interview with Bill Hoagland took place on January 21, 2026 while Congress continued to deliberate over a spending deal to fund most of the federal government through the end of Fiscal Year 2026.]
Learn more about the People's Data 100 and nominate a federal dataset that provides great value to the American people: www.PeoplesData100.org.
00:00 Introduction to the Data for the People! Podcast
00:36 What is the Data Foundation?
01:44 Why is the Data Foundation Launching a Podcast?
03:58 Introducing Bill Hoagland
11:45 Bill Hoagland's Career Journey
19:15 The Importance of Data in Public Policy
25:00 Rebuilding Trust in Government and Science
34:10 The People's Data 100 Initiative
36:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Want to be part of a national community that promotes policies that enable government data to be high-quality, accessible, and usable? Join our Data Coalition: https://datafoundation.org/pages/join-the-data-coalition
The Data Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. All contributions may be tax deductible. We appreciate all charitable contributions towards fulfilling our mission to make democratic society better for everyone by championing the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy. Donate: https://datafoundation.org/supportus
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