Republican lawmakers urge Trump to name permanent Census Bureau director for 2030 count

State Republican officials, now numbering 170, have signed a letter urging President Trump to appoint a Senate-confirmed director for the U.S. Census Bureau before the 2030 census. Organized by the State Freedom Caucus Network, the lawmakers claim the bureau’s reliance on differential privacy, statistical adjustments, and the omission of a citizenship question have distorted population counts and weakened public confidence.

They reference a 2022 post-census review that found Republican-majority states were undercounted while Democratic-majority states were overcounted, affecting congressional seat allocation. A forecast by the American Redistricting Project suggests that excluding non-citizens from the count would shift seats from blue to red states. The bureau is currently run by Acting Director George Cook, but the signatories argue that a confirmed director is critical to fulfill the constitutional purpose of the census. The White House has not commented on when or if a nomination will be made.