Turmoil at the Census Bureau Could Harm Poor People of Color
“In the past week, Donald Trump abruptly fired the FBI director and allegedly revealed classified information to Russian officials—big, big news stories that have made the internal politics of the federal bureaucracy seem even less important than usual. But the announced resignation of Census Bureau director John H. Thompson in June shouldn’t be ignored; it could have massive consequences for millions of Americans down the line, whether or not anyone is paying attention. The 2020 census is three years away. But without Thompson, the ginormous task of counting everyone who lives in America could go off the rails, and the collateral damage of a botched census would be Americans in need of federal benefits.”