The2025 United States government online resource removals are a series ofweb page anddataset deletions and modifications across multipleUnited States federal agencies beginning in January 2025. Followingexecutive orders fromPresident Donald Trump's administration, government organizations removed or modified over 8,000 web pages and approximately 3,000 datasets. The changes primarily affected content related todiversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives,gender identity,public health research,environmental policy, and varioussocial programs, and other topics Trump and the Republican Party has expressed opposition to. Major affected agencies included theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, which saw over 3,000 pages altered or removed, and theCensus Bureau, which removed about 3,000 pages of research materials. While some content was later restored, the modifications represented significant changes to federal government data accessibility and sparked legal challenges from healthcare advocacy groups.
Agencies of the United States government shareopen data for many uses. There are many civic technology, research, and business applications which rely on access to government data.[1] Dataset deletion can be useful maintenance or the result of poor archiving practice.[2] There is little government regulation on dataset management, so it can be challenging to determine when content deletions occur.[2][3] Determining the reasons for removals and their significance is also difficult.[3] All administrations make modifications to public websites, but there is little research on how much change is typical.[3] There has been past speculation that previous government changes would result in removed access to data, but those removals did not happen.[4]
In 2009,Data.gov was established to improve public access to high value, machine-readabledatasets generated by theExecutive Branch of theFederal Government.[5] In 2019, theOPEN Government Data Act ordered agencies to share data that could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and to guide policymaking. Various federal agencies release data on their own websites.
In 2019, Trump signed into law the Foundation for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, which established a system for utilizing data to construct evidence-based policy. Trump's second administration showed a dramatic pivot from this law passed during his first administration.[6]
In late January 2025, organizations under theDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS) paused their external communication during a review.[7]
On January 29, 2025, theOffice of Personnel Management (OPM) ordered agencies to comply with President Trump'sexecutive order, "Defending Women," which requires federal agencies to "recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male".[8][9][10] The organizations were told to terminate any programs and remove any outward facing media, documents, materials, communications, and statements that promote "gender ideology" by January 31.[10][11]
Agencies also moved quickly to comply with the executive order "Ending Radical Government DEI Programs" by removing forbidden terms from their websites.[9][12] Census.gov went offline as it attempted to comply with the executive orders "Reevaluating Foreign Aid" and "Defending Women".[13] The information removals and modifications reflected policy changes championed by theDonald Trump 2024 presidential campaign.[14]
Data removal included topics related toDEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion),[3]long COVID,[15]HIV/AIDS,[16]vaccines,[17]transgender andgender identity-related topics,[15][17][16]foreign aid,[13]environmental justice,[13][3][18]emergency management,[13] employment,[13] and theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[19] By February 2, 2025, the content removal included more than 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen government websites.[3] According toThe New York Times, the removed pages made up approximately 0.1% of all U.S. government web pages.[3]
Some web pages and documents remain accessible, but were stripped of terminology relating to the prohibited topics.[3][18][20] Terms have been replaced across many government web pages; "climate change" was often replaced by "climate resilience", "LGBTQ" replaced by "LGB", and "pregnant people" replaced by "pregnant women".[14][9] According toThe Washington Post, the most common change to web pages was removing DEI-related terms.[14]
The website modifications also affected older web pages, such as the description of a 2021 conference and a 2022 letter fromcabinet secretaries.[14]The Washington Post reported that some pages seemed to be mistakenly modified; the word "diverse" was removed from a page describing the extent of theDepartment of the Interior's museum collection.[14]
As of February 2, more than 3,000 pages from the website for theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention have been altered or removed.[3] This included thousands of research papers relating tochronic medical conditions,sexually transmitted infections,Alzheimer's disease,drug overdose prevention,adolescent health, and reproductive care.[3][9]
Vaccine guidelines for pregnant people were also removed from the CDC website, whichThe New York Times noted may have been due to use of the gender-neutral term "pregnant people".[3] One employee said that sinceHIV-related webpages commonly referenced gender, they had to "take everything down in order to meet the deadline."[16]
Some data was restored later, such as the Atlas Tool for tracking infectious diseases such as HIV and STIs and information on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.[9] As of February 6, the CDC website had the notice, "CDC's website is being modified to comply with President Trump's Executive Orders."[9]
In January,NASA undertook a comprehensive removal of DEI-related content from its public-facing websites. An internal directive instructed employees to "drop everything" and immediately eliminate references to terms such as "DEIA", "indigenous people", "environmental justice", "underrepresented groups/people", and content specifically targeting women, including content about "women in leadership".[21][22] This purge resulted in the deletion of various materials, including interviews with Black and female NASA employees, LGBTQ-related content, and two NASA-created comic books about women astronauts.[23][24]
More than 3,000 pages from theCensus Bureau website were removed as of February 2, primarily including articles filed under research and methodology.[3] Pages relating todata stewardship as well as survey and data set documentation were also removed.[3]
TheFood and Drug Administration (FDA) removed more than 100 pages as of February 2, including dozens of regulatory guidelines on topics such as increasing diversity inclinical trials and the potential for addiction and abuse in drug studies.[3]
Close to 50 research papers from theOffice of Scientific and Technical Information – part of theDepartment of Energy – were removed as of February 2. The removed papers covered a range of subjects, such aschemistry,optics, and experimental medicine.[3]
Twenty pages from theNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website were removed as of February 2, including a page documenting the organization'szero-tolerance harassment policy.[3]
The environmental justice mapping and screening tool, EJScreen, was removed from theEnvironment Protection Agency (EPA) on February 5, along several related pages.[25] Public Environmental Data Project (PEDP) published a reconstruction of one of its earlier versions.[26]
In March 2025, an unknown executive order signed by President Donald Trump resulted in the NOAARadar Next Program Overview document being removed from NOAA servers.[27]
The NOAA maintains a list of resources and products it retires.[28] On May 31, the entire climate.gov team was fired, likely shutting down the site.[29] TheNational Climate Assessment reports, congressionally mandated under theGlobal Change Research Act of 1990, were taken offline,[30] and the 400 scientists working on the 2027 assessment were fired.[31]
At least 1,000 pages from theOffice of Justice Programs, a crime prevention research organization, were removed as of February 2. This included information on violence in teenage dating, and a blog post regarding grants that went toward combatinghate crimes.[3]
TheDepartment of Justice (DOJ) removed over 180 pages as of February 2, including all state-level crime data and seven pages with information onanti-LGBTQ hate crimes.[3]
TheMarshals Service saw two pages removed, relating to correctional facility standards and fitness readiness requirements.[3]
TheNational Law Enforcement Accountability Database, which tracked federal police officer misconduct, was removed as of February 20.[32]
In March, theDepartment of Justice deleted the page about a study showing that undocumented immigrants commit less crime than citizens.[33]
In September 2025, a study conducted by theNational Institute of Justice showing thatwhite supremacist andfar-right violence were the most common forms of terrorism and domestic violent extremism in the United States was deleted.[34][35]
TheNot One More Report, on missing and murdered Native Americans, disappeared from the Department of Justice's website in February 2025; the administration said that the report, mandated by Congress by theNot Invisible Act, was removed to ensure compliance with one of Trump's executive orders.[36]
Head Start, a U.S. federal aid program for low-income childcare, had over 200 pages removed as of February 2, including advice on establishing familial routines and guidance to help preventpostpartum depression.[3] The removals followed afreeze of federal funds to the program days earlier.[37][38]
As of February 2, nearly 150 pages had been removed from theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. This included more than 50 press releases about using ahelpline following shootings or natural disasters.[3]
TheHealth Resources and Services Administration deleted 18 pages from their website as of February 2, including information on theMpox vaccine andopioid addiction among women.[3]
Three pages from theDepartment of Veterans Affairs were removed as of February 2, including information on healthcare for minority and LGBTQ veterans, as well as the equity of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System.[3]
ReproductiveRights.gov, an HHS website providing information on reproductive care, was taken offline.[16][39] The website was launched by the Biden administration following theoverruling of Roe v. Wade.[39]
On February 13, Garey Rice, the principal deputy assistant secretary for operations at HHS, declared that DOGE employees grafted to the agency have "full access to allunclassified agency records and software and IT systems" and are tasked, among other things, with the obligation to "destroy or erase copied HHS data or information when no longer needed for official purposes."[40]
As of April 4, 2025, over 20National Institutes of Health (NIH) data repositories displayed headers stating "This repository is under review for potential modification in compliance with Administration directives." These repositories contain petabytes of data that are used for public health research in diverse areas, including cancer, brain imaging, sleep studies, Alzheimer's, aging, COVID-19, and HIV. Many of the datasets cannot be archived by outside researchers because they are regulated by Data Use Agreements that must be consistent with theHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).[41] In April 2025, the Trump administration removed the online hub for federalCOVID-19 resources, including COVID.gov andCOVIDtests.gov, replacing it with alanding page promoting theCOVID-19 lab leak theory.[42]
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The Internal Revenue Service removed more than 25 pages as of February 2, including a form that private schools are required to submit annually to certify that they had not engaged inracial discrimination.[3]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) removed 386 videos from its officialYouTube channel.[43] Other socials have been deleted. Its home page has been removed.
As of February 2, there were 18 pages removed from theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office website, including information about veteran inventors and entrepreneurs, and a high school program teaching aboutintellectual property.[3]
TheDepartment of the Interior removed eight pages from their website as of February 2, including several with information onenvironmental policy initiatives.The New York Times speculated that some of the pages may have been removed due to the use of the phrase "environmental justice".[3] TheNational Park Service removed all references to the existence of transgender people from its webpages covering theStonewall National Monument, theStonewall riots, and LGBTQ+ history, changing the acronym from "LGBTQ+" to "LGB".[44]
As of February 3, four pages from theNuclear Regulatory Commission have been deleted, including an overview of the commission'sequal employment opportunity and diversity initiatives.[3]
The FDA's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity website was removed, and the NIH's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website now redirects to an equal employment opportunity web page.[16]
All Spanish-language content onwhitehouse.gov was removed, as it was following President Trump's first inauguration.[45][46] TheAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language issued a joint statement criticizing the removal, noting the importance ofSpanish as the second most spoken language in the United States, especially in Puerto Rico. Signatories included theNorth American andPuerto Rican Academies of the Spanish Language.[47]
International travel advisories on theDepartment of State website replaced their language on "LGBTQ+ Travelers" with language around "LGB Travelers" and removed reference to safety and other issues faced by transgender Americans in other countries.[48]
Thousand of images were reported flagged for removal by the Defense Department.[49]
Arlington National Cemetery removed dozens of pages from its website. Some identified gravesites of notable Black, Hispanic and female service members, and others included educational material.[50][51][52]
On March 18, more than 300 posts were removed from theFTC business guidance blogs, including those reporting on lawsuits byLina Khan against the tech giants.[53]
On April 6, 2025,The Washington Post reported that the National Park Service had revised a web page about theUnderground Railroad to remove a quote and image ofHarriet Tubman, and to remove the word "slavery" from the opening paragraph.[54] Following an outcry after widespread reporting of the revisions, the changes were reverted the following day.[55] A spokesperson for the National Park Service stated that "Changes to the Underground Railroad page on the National Park Service's website were made without approval from NPS leadership nor Department leadership".[56]
In August 2025, the government website for theConstitution of the United States was modified, removing large parts ofSection 8 and entirely deletingSections 9 and10 fromArticle 1 of the document.[57][58][59] On August 6, theLibrary of Congress said the deletion of text was "due to a coding error", and was working to correct the issue.[60]
As of November 2025, the USDA has deleted its contingency plan to fund SNAP.[61][62]
In January 2025, the government removed about 3,000 datasets from various platforms.[2] Many deleted datasets came from theDepartment of Energy, theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[2]
Doctors for America sued the U.S. government to restore health information, arguing "The removal of this information deprives researchers of access to information that is necessary for treating patients ... and for developing practices and policies that protect the health of vulnerable populations and the country as a whole."[18] In response, a federal judge issued arestraining order on February 11, 2025, requiring certain websites from the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, and the FDA to be restored.[66][67]
American Federation of Teachers and Minority Veterans of America andPublic Citizen Litigation Group also filed lawsuits.[68][18]
Representatives from thePopulation Association of America, the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, and theAssociation of Public Data Users [Wikidata] (APDU) expressed disapproval of the data deletion.[69] President of the APDU, Amy O'Hara, described a "mad scramble" as researchers searched for copies of the deleted data.[69]
Former US Department of Labor chief evaluation officer and board member of Data Foundation Molly Irwin warned of the dangers of deleting critical government data. She highlighted government data is a critical component of how politicians and analysts evaluate whether a particular policy is working as intended.[6]
The stock market, bond market, and Federal Reserve all continuously make decisions based on labor data.[13] This data is typically stable, but changes to it reduce confidence in data about the economy.[13] Uncertainty also encourages conspiracy theories which view government data as intentionally incorrect for malicious purposes.[13] Furthermore, businesses rely on the essentially free government data as a part of their own operations, planning, products and services. Zillow, for example, utilizes government data to generate their product of real estate information and analysis.[6]
Scientists reacted by saying that they would restore access to some data, but doing so is not easy.[13] TheInternet Archive has been successful in archiving many health datasets.[70] Internet Archive is also a contributor to the consortium effort of developing theEnd of Term Web Archive, which attempts to copy every government publication at the end of every presidential term.[71][72] Organizations likeIPUMS, which provides data curation, integration, harmonization, is serving as an important source for previously deleted data.[73]
TheHarvard Law School Library hosts the Data.gov Archive.[74][75][76] TheChan School mirrored public health records.[77] The law library's Innovation Lab said that it had managed to preserve 311,000 datasets copied between 2024 and 2025.[76] A coalition of data organizations launched the Data Rescue Project "as a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts".[78][79]
George Benjamin, head of theAmerican Public Health Association, said that the removals could make it more difficult to track infectious diseases such as HIV and Mpox.[18] He also expressed concern that even if the data was restored, new data might not be collected which would impair future research.[18]
Director of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) Executive Secretariat, Nate Brought, said that Trump's orders were in conflict with extensive research and conclusions by the NIH pertaining to sexuality and gender.[10] In a letter to the NIH director and other senior officials, Brought urged them to refuse implementing the President's directives.[10]
Groups like Free Government Information has voiced strong dissent with the Trump administration's removal of government data and resource, and have started organizing efforts to collect and preserve federal government data.[80] Similarly, the Preservation of Electronic Government Information (PEGI) group has voiced similar urgency to collect and save data before they are removed from official government sites.[81] Grassroot, collective efforts like the Data Rescue Project has launched efforts to coordinate these various data saving endeavors.[82]
Media related to2025 United States government online resource removals at Wikimedia Commons