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May 27, 2026

Xaver Clarke

Tracker 2026 ElectionDepartment of Homeland SecurityDOGEExecutive BranchImmigrationRussell VoughtTech

Personal Information at Risk

The United States federal government knows a lot about you. If you’ve ever applied for federal student aid, the Department of Education has records of your income and assets. The Social Security Administration begins collecting information from the moment your parents apply for your Social Security number at birth, adds new data every time Social Security taxes are deducted from your paychecks, and continues to monitor you until the day you die.

May 12, 2026

Xaver Clarke

Tracker Climate and EnvironmentCriminal JusticeEconomic PolicyEducationExecutive BranchHealthImmigrationRussell VoughtTrump Watch

Trump’s War on Public Data

Trump’s antagonistic relationship with facts is well documented. His most egregious attacks on reality aren’t just rhetorical. They threaten physical safety and American democracy. They target the ways we define what we know about the country and ourselves. Trump’s assault on public data is not a side project, it’s a core feature of his authoritarian approach to governance. By hollowing out federal statistics, limiting information gathering, and redacting inconvenient reports, the Trump administration is warping reality to suit its political narrative. The goal isn’t just to obscure the effects of the president’s policies, it’s to prevent the public from seeing them at all.

April 29, 2026

Fletcher Calcagno

Newsletter Executive BranchGovernanceGovernment CapacityRussell Vought

Vought-Force Trauma: the War on the Federal Civil Service

On April 1st, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) updated the Federal Workforce Data (FWD) page to include data up until February 2026. The new data gives us the most complete picture yet as to how the Trump administration, led by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, has torn asunder the capacity of the federal government.

April 20, 2026 | Watchdog Weekly

KJ Boyle

Newsletter Congressional OversightConsumer ProtectionDefenseGovernment CapacityRussell Vought

Highlights from Vampire Vought’s Congressional Testimony

Last week, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought appeared before the House and Senate Budget committees for the first time during his tenure. As we argued last week, both hearings were a rare opportunity for Congress to shine the light on a notoriously shadowy figure, especially given Vought’s persistent ducking and overall disdain for Congressional authority. It wasn’t exactly the spectacle we hoped for—Vought will likely remain an unknown name to the vast majority of Americans despite having a hand in nearly all of their hardship caused by this administration.