Census Bureau Director Robert Santos resigned Thursday, cutting short a five-year appointment and making way for President Donald Trump to reshape the agency.
“It’s been such an honor to serve our nation,” Santos, appointed by President Joe Biden and sworn into office in 2022, wrote in a LinkedIn post.
His move comes during key preparations for the 2030 census, which will determine House seats and Electoral College votes for states. In his first administration, Trump’s plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census to nullify illegal immigrants were scuttled by the Supreme Court and a delay in the release of data into the Biden administration.
“It’s always important for an agency as large as the Census Bureau to have stability in its most senior position, and we’re at a critical point at the Census Bureau’s preparations for the 2030 decennial census,” Arturo Vargas, chair of the bureau’s 2030 Census Advisory Committee, told NPR.
“I’ll miss having somebody with the expertise and perspective that Santos has brought to the position as the bureau prepares for 2030.”
Civil rights groups on Friday urged Trump to appoint an impartial leader to head the nation’s largest statistical agency.
“The integrity of the U.S. Census Bureau must remain above partisan influence, ensuring that data collection and reporting continue to serve the American people with accuracy, transparency, and fairness,” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said in a statement on its website.
Santos wrote in a letter to employees, obtained by Politico, his decision comes “after deep reflection.”
“Building generational trust across communities and tribal nations is foundational to ensuring our methods, data, and products are timely, of high quality, and relevant,” Santos wrote. “I’ve seen firsthand how we can provide relevant data to communities to address their needs as defined by their life experiences and perspectives.”
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