Morgan Kriesel on government data, fired scientists, and what comes next

In this episode of Who’s Behind the News from Newsjunkie.net, host Matt Fidler speaks with senior writer Morgan Kriesel about his reporting on the purge of government scientists and data collectors, the erosion of public research infrastructure, and the growing grassroots effort to preserve scientific work outside political control.

Why Government Data Matters

A lot of people think of government agencies mainly as bureaucracies. What do those agencies actually do, especially when it comes to data?

Data, information, and knowledge are the foundation of an educated public, which is what democracy depends on. I’m thinking especially about public health—knowing what illnesses are spreading, what chronic illnesses affect people, and how exposure to chemicals causes disease. We need that information to even recognize a problem, let alone address it.

The same goes for climate change. Agencies like NOAA and FEMA measure and respond to its effects. Scientists need to be able to collect and observe reliable data so policymakers can respond effectively. Without that data, there’s no way to make informed decisions.

When Data Disappears, People Become Invisible

Are we seeing direct consequences from cuts to agencies like NOAA, FEMA, or USDA?

The problem is that if we stop collecting data, we won’t always see the effects immediately—but people will still be impacted. For example, the USDA stopped conducting the food security survey right after SNAP benefits were briefly disrupted during the government shutdown.

If we don’t measure the effects, people experiencing increased food insecurity become invisible. The harm still exists—we just lose the ability to point to it and say, “This many people are affected.”

What Happens to Scientists?

What’s happening to the people who used to do this work?

Almost every department I’ve looked into has been affected. Some federal employees were fired, some put on leave, and others still have jobs but aren’t allowed to do their work at the level they believe is necessary.

In response, a huge number of organizations have formed. There are groups connected to the National Park Service, the CDC, FEMA—so many that every time I research this, I find several more.

From Advocacy to Action

What are organizations like Alt National Parks actually doing?

There’s a wide range of activities. Some groups, like Alt National Parks and the Resistance Rangers, are more organized. Others focus on advocacy and public education—posting statistics about what the parks do, how many people they employ, and how much revenue they generate.

Then there are organizations like the National Public Health Coalition, made up largely of former CDC workers. They initially formed to support laid-off employees with legal resources and access to benefits, and later became an advocacy group—appearing at rallies, engaging with the press, and collecting data.

Every department I look into has people trying to keep the work alive in some form.

Rebuilding What Was Taken Down

Some of these groups are continuing the work themselves, right?

Yes. And some are collecting new data. The CDC Data Project, run by the National Public Health Coalition, is tracking budget cuts, reductions in force, and economic impacts by state.

Then there’s Climate.us, run by former NOAA employees. They’re trying to recreate everything that was on Climate.gov—a site that helped educators explain climate change and its effects, and which has been taken down. They’re fundraising now to rebuild those resources.

Connecting the Dots

You’ve mentioned trying to bring these groups together. What does that look like?

There’s so much happening right now—so many independent movements at different levels. Newsjunkie wants to help bring them together into a cohesive, independent science infrastructure that can continue research and data collection away from political interference.

This is also about building something more sustainable than what we had before. Political interference has always existed in government science, even under previous administrations. The goal is to build something stronger than what we had.

The goal isn’t just rebuilding—it’s building protections so this can’t happen again.

Rebuilding Trust

How do we rebuild public trust in these agencies and their work?

According to Aryn Melton Backus, of the National Public Health Coalition, communication is everything. A lot of people benefit from CDC programs without realizing it. Public health touches everyone’s life, but the connection isn’t always visible.

She told me: It doesn’t matter how good the science is if you can’t explain why it matters or demonstrate its value. Meeting people where they are—and acknowledging frustration and distrust—is key.

What to Read Next

What should readers check out on Newsjunkie to learn more?

I interviewed Aryn Melton Backus, a co-founder of the National Public Health Coalition. I also spoke with Gretchen Gehrke of the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative, who has been working to preserve government data since 2016.

I’ve written about Covid.gov as a case study of how actionable government information can be disrupted. And there’s more coming.

Hope—and Hard Questions

Do you see hope for a long-term solution?

I’d like to see a nonprofit alliance form among these organizations—something independent and sustainable that keeps science and research moving forward even when administrations try to stop it.

Funding long-term, nationwide studies independently will be difficult, but that work is some of the most valuable research the government has ever done.

Who Benefits from Data Erasure?

Who gains when this information disappears?

Anyone who profits from harm. Tobacco companies benefit when smoking health data disappears. Oil and gas companies benefit when climate destruction can’t be tracked.

Anyone who wants to sell solutions to problems they created benefits from the erasure of public data.

Morgan Kriesel, thank you for joining us.

Thank you so much.

© Newsjunkie 2026