Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has written to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other officials demanding an explanation for the removal of language banning political interference from the Census Bureau's scientific integrity policy. The updated policy, dated August 19, no longer includes protection from inappropriate influence as a hallmark of scientific integrity. Warren cites NPR's reporting on the change and raises concerns about its potential impact on the reliability of statistics about the country's demographics and economy.
The change in policy comes amid the Trump administration's broader efforts to overhaul the nation's statistical system. The administration has made several controversial moves in recent months, including banning a data privacy protection technique used by the Census Bureau for decades. This move forced the agency to delay the release of some survey results and potentially cut future public data about rural communities and other small populations.
The Census Bureau's parent agency, the Commerce Department, removed the language banning political interference from its scientific integrity policy. Warren's letter to Lutnick expresses concern that this change could hurt the reliability of statistics about the country's demographics and economy. She also raises questions about the involvement of the Office of Management and Budget, a White House agency that coordinates federal statistical agencies, in the decision.
The updated policy was released a day after the Census Bureau published a document by a team with ties to the America First Policy Institute, a think tank started by officials from President Trump's first administration. Data and election experts have criticized the document's claims about non-U.S. citizen voting as questionable and below the standards for research by the bureau.
The Trump administration has proposed several changes to the census, including excluding certain non-U.S. citizen residents from the count that determines each state's share of congressional districts and Electoral College votes. The 14th Amendment says that count must include the whole number of persons in each state. The administration is also calling for an end to the use of the census to produce data about people's race and ethnicity.
Warren's letter asks for detailed answers by October 7 and probes whether the Commerce Department's decision involved the Office of Management and Budget. She also asks how the Federal Reserve is ensuring that the data it relies on from the Census Bureau is accurate. The Federal Reserve plans to respond to Warren's letter, according to spokesperson Eric Kollig.
The removal of the language banning political interference has raised concerns about the integrity of the nation's statistical system. Warren's demands for an explanation are part of a broader effort to ensure that the Census Bureau's data remains reliable and unbiased. The Commerce Department and OMB have not immediately responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Key points
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren demands an explanation from Trump officials for removing language banning political interference from the Census Bureau's scientific integrity policy.
- The updated policy has raised concerns about the reliability of statistics about the country's demographics and economy.
- The Trump administration has proposed several changes to the census, including excluding non-U.S. citizen residents from the count that determines congressional representation.
