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

Follow the Data Foundation on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/datafoundation

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.

Welcome to Data for the People!, 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 enhance—or limit—their use.

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

Follow the Data Foundation on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/datafoundation