ProPublica quantified layoffs by scraping HHS’s employee directory, revealing 20,500 departures and losses by agency that officials wouldn’t disclose. Public staff lists and org charts can serve as real‑time oversight data when agencies stonewall. This method is replicable across departments to audit state capacity.
— It offers a scalable transparency tool that lets journalists, watchdogs, and legislators monitor institutional hollowing without waiting for official reports.
by Brandon Roberts, Annie Waldman and Pratheek Rebala, illustrations by Sam Green for ProPublica
2025.08.21
100% relevant
ProPublica’s analysis of the HHS employee directory to calculate an 18% workforce reduction and agency‑level losses (CDC 15%, NIH 16%, FDA 21%).
by Pratheek Rebala, Annie Waldman and Brandon Roberts
2025.08.21
95% relevant
ProPublica scraped and archived the HHS employee directory, treating email first/last appearance as hires/departures to quantify staff losses after Jan. 25 when the administration refused disclosure, exactly exemplifying directory-based auditing of institutional hollowing.
← Back to All Ideas