Concerns Expressed for Elimination of Census Advisory Committees

Concerns Expressed for Elimination of Census Advisory Committees

A coalition wrote to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on May 7, 2025 with their concerns about the termination of the 2030 Census Advisory Committee, the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, and the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations.

The groups, led by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, called the three Census Bureau advisory committees’ elimination “a major setback at a pivotal moment for the bureau, both in its planning for the 2030 Census and its extensive efforts to streamline and modernize other data collection activities to eliminate duplication, contain costs, and improve data accuracy and usefulness. These advisory committees have long served as essential mechanisms through which the Census Bureau has engaged scientific and technical experts and trusted community leaders to provide input on data collection methodologies, community engagement strategies, research projects, emerging technologies, and survey content. Eliminating these committees—especially as preparations for the next decennial census are intensifying and the next quinquennial Economic Census is approaching—threatens the bureau’s ability to collect accurate, comprehensive demographic and economic data.”

The letter urged the Secretary to “reverse this decision or, at minimum, commit to immediately establishing a robust, transparent, and inclusive alternative structure that preserves the value these committees brought to the Census Bureau’s work.”