140+ GOP lawmakers press Trump to name permanent Census Bureau director
More than 140 Republican state legislators have asked President Donald Trump to promptly appoint a confirmed director for the U.S. Census Bureau ahead of the 2030 count.
A coalition of over 140 Republican state officials sent a Monday letter to President Donald Trump demanding an immediate, Senate-confirmed appointment of a U.S. Census Bureau director before the 2030 census. Organized by the State Freedom Caucus Network, the lawmakers note that the agency has operated without a confirmed head since early 2025 and fault its reliance on differential privacy, statistical adjustments and the exclusion of a citizenship question for skewing data.
They reference a 2022 agency report that found Republican-run states were undercounted while Democratic-run states were overcounted, potentially altering House seat distribution. Signatories such as Louisiana Freedom Caucus Chair Beryl Amedée and Missouri Freedom Caucus Chair Nick Schroer call for a director who will restore a "constitutional" citizen count. Acting Director George Cook currently runs the bureau. The appeal also mentions a forecast by the American Redistricting Project that a citizen-only count would shift seats from blue to red states.
Why it matters
The Census determines congressional seats and federal funding, so leadership changes could reshape political representation.
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