Not recent (April 2011) but interesting article from technology review (MIT) on the impact of budget cuts on Obama’s Open Data initiatives.
Speaking of data.gov, Rufus Pollock (director Open Knowledge Foundation) says:
Pollock says what’s most concerning about cutting the Electronic Government Fund is that it represents a turn away from Obama’s open-government policies. “The website is really great, but the crucial thing is the actual data,” he says. Though data.gov is a symbol whose loss would be painful, the real question is whether the U.S. government will continue to make its data more accessible and useful, with or without it.
In an era of budget reductions, it needs to be data first (including documentation) and agency website search/presentations later, if at all.
If you know anyone with an effective voice in this debate, suggest to them data first, agency presentation/spin only after the data has been posted for download.