Commerce Department Shares Government Shutdown Plans for Census Bureau

Commerce Department Shares Government Shutdown Plans for Census Bureau

A September 29, 2025 “Plan for Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations” from the U.S. Commerce Department explains that “most activities will cease” at the Census Bureau in the event of a federal government shutdown, currently on tap to start at 12:01am on October 1, 2025. The details are on pages 13 to 15.

“The agency will have access to balances which will allow minimally necessary operations and activities to ensure the safety and security of data, IT resources, and property. Prior to any lapse in appropriations, an assessment will be performed to determine the level of budget authority available to continue operations. Administrative and information technology infrastructure activities supporting these programs will continue, funded by overheads collected against the funding sources above. The Census Bureau will use carryover balances to continue the activities needed to remain on a critical readiness path for a fully scoped, and on-time 2026 Census Test, a mission critical priority for ensuring 2030 Census operational viability as described throughout this section.”

Activities that won’t continue under a shutdown include monthly economic indicators and “updated data to jurisdictions impacted by natural disasters.” More importantly, data collection for the American Community Survey (ACS) “will be discontinued,” along with all “activities necessary to plan, manage, and prepare for the 2030 Census not directly tied to the 2026 Census Test, including Geographic Support and Frames.”

The plan includes multiple explanations about the Bureau prioritizing the 2026 Census Test, taking advantage of carryover funding:

• “Certain operations related to the 2026 Census Test, including printing, processing, and shipping functions in support of the test will continue using carryover balances.”
• “Certain operations related to the 2026 Census Test, including opening Regional Census Centers; beginning recruitment for temporary, intermittent field staff; collaborating with test site partners; and activating systems essential to recruitment, hiring, and onboarding, training regional managers and supervisors, developing training for field operations, and continuing preparation for infrastructure and device logistics to support the test will continue using carryover balances.”
• “Certain operations related to the 2026 Census Test using carryover balances will continue. This will support the direct management and planning of all test operations and systems, delivery of Census – 16 the IT solutions for the 2026 Census Test, the management of all test-related contracts and funding, and supporting the 2026 Census Test recruiting operation. Additionally, 2026 Census Test IT solutions supporting the hiring, onboarding, training and data collection operations will continue.”
• “Staff will continue development of the Demographic Frame (DEMO Frame), for the 2026 Census Test using carryover balances. Staff will continue work on the development of methods and specifications, use of administrative records, content, collection and processing strategies as well as assessing data definitions and review processes. This work will also include the final testing of the instruments and processes that will be used for the 2026 Census Test.”
• “The office of the Associate Director [for Economic Programs] will continue activities related to the 2026 Census Test using carryover balances, including data ingest and linkage and DICE operation, including questionnaire design, business rules, field user interface controls, phone call support, paper data capture, self-response authentication, and other operations.”
• “The office of the Associate Director for Communications will continue activities related to the 2026 Census Test using carryover balances, including creating, promoting and distributing materials for hiring on Census.gov, outreach to stakeholders, government entities and media to support awareness of test activities and supporting the preparation of training materials and outreach by staff across the Census Bureau.”