The director of the U.S. Census Bureau announced his resignation following allegations that he supported an effort to get data released before the end of President Trump’s term in office.
Steven Dillingham announced his resignation on Monday, which will go into effect on Wednesday. The resignation coincides with the beginning of the Biden administration, even though Dillingham’s term isn’t up until the end of 2021. A farewell letter from Dillingham to the bureau staff was published on the bureau’s website.
“Many institutions demurred in the face of this pandemic, and it is easy to understand why. But you did not. You met this challenge head on and overcame it. You adapted operations to carry out the mission while following public health and safety protocols. You made great sacrifices to continue our work as you and your loved ones experienced the pandemic. You were resilient and persevered,” he wrote.
“You adapted to serve your Country in new and innovative ways. While other organizations scaled back, you added relevant and timely new products to the Census portfolio. The world has never needed complete and accurate data more than it does now,” Dillingham said. “As we pull together to beat this terrible virus and rebuild our communities, your work shines a light on the path forward.”
The news of his resignation came shortly after whistleblowers alleged political appointees were pressuring staff to release certain data by Jan. 15, even if its accuracy was questionable. A memo from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) accused Dillingham and others of using their authority to apply “significant pressure” to produce reports detailing documented and undocumented people in the United States last week.
Following the report, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, called for him to resign.
“Today, I call on Dr. Dillingham to immediately resign from his position as director of the Census Bureau because I no longer have faith that he can lead the bureau to produce a fair, accurate, and complete 2020 census count as required by the Constitution,” she said. “Rather than ensure an accurate count, Dr. Dillingham appears to have acceded repeatedly to the Trump administration’s brazen efforts to politicize the census. He has failed to be open and transparent with Congress, and recent events indicate he has lost the confidence of Census Bureau staff. If he does not resign, I urge President-elect Biden to remove Dr. Dillingham after taking office on Jan. 20 and to replace him with someone who will follow the Constitution, respect the expertise of the career Census Bureau staff, and work with Congress to protect the integrity of the census.”
The data collection part of the census was completed last fall, but they have not released any of the data yet. It’s unclear exactly when the census bureau will release the data. Some Democrats expressed concern that the president and his administration could release portions of the data for political gain.
Census data, which is only collected every ten years, is used to distribute federal funding along with congressional apportionment. The Trump administration has long sought to determine how many people live in the country illegally, which was eventually rebuffed by the Supreme Court.
