On September 17, 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau found itself at the center of a political storm after George Cook—a Trump administration official from the Commerce Department—was named acting director of the nation’s largest statistical agency. According to NPR, the news broke through a staff announcement circulated on Friday, leaving many within the bureau and beyond scrambling to understand the implications for the future of federal data and representation.
Cook’s appointment comes at a time of heightened tension and scrutiny of the Census Bureau’s independence. As reported by NPR, Cook is no stranger to multi-tasking in government: he’s also serving as the Commerce Department’s acting undersecretary for economic affairs and as chief of staff to that role. This means he now oversees the bureau from multiple vantage points, consolidating a significant amount of influence in a single official. The Friday email to bureau staff, obtained by NPR, described Cook’s background as “an institutional investor and economic analyst”—a résumé that, for some, raises more questions than it answers.
Why all the fuss about a new acting director? For starters, the Census Bureau isn’t just another federal agency. Its decennial head count determines how congressional seats and Electoral College votes are apportioned, and it guides the distribution of trillions in federal funding across the country. The bureau also produces much of the nation’s public data on the U.S. economy and population. So, when a new leader steps in—especially from a political background—people pay attention.
The timing of Cook’s appointment is especially sensitive. President Trump has recently made a controversial call for a “new” census, one that, for the first time in U.S. history, would exclude residents without legal status. This proposal has ignited a fierce debate, as legal experts and civil rights advocates point to the 14th Amendment, which requires the “whole number of persons in each state” to be counted for apportionment. As NPR notes, any attempt to conduct a new tally before the 2030 census would require explicit authorization and funding from Congress—a tall order, given the current political climate.
Cook steps into the role as preparations for the 2030 head count are already underway. The bureau’s previous director, Robert Santos—a nominee of former President Joe Biden—cut short his five-year term in January 2025, leaving a leadership vacuum. Since then, Ron Jarmin, a longtime career civil servant, had been serving as acting director, but he’s now stepping down to return to his deputy director role. This change, reported by both NPR and BERITAJA, has set off alarm bells among census experts and advocates.
Terri Ann Lowenthal, a well-known census consultant and former staff director for the House oversight subcommittee on the census, didn’t mince words. She told NPR, “The appointment of someone serving as the chief of staff—who is necessarily and understandably a political loyalist—as the director of the largest statistical agency, without the necessary qualifications the law requires, is extremely worrisome.” Lowenthal emphasized that federal law mandates the agency’s permanent director “have a demonstrated ability in managing large organizations and experience in the collection, analysis, and use of statistical data.” In her view, the usual process would be to keep a career acting director in place until a qualified, Senate-confirmed replacement is found.
This isn’t the first time the Census Bureau has been caught in the crosshairs of political maneuvering. During the final months of the 2020 census, the first Trump administration installed several political appointees with no obvious qualifications at the agency’s top ranks, according to NPR. That period was marked by controversy and legal battles over efforts to alter how the census counts certain populations. The echoes of that era still linger, with many career civil servants wary of further politicization.
The stakes are high. The census isn’t just about counting people; it’s about power and money. Congressional redistricting, federal aid, and even local school funding can hinge on census figures. Trump’s call for a “new” census—especially one that would exclude undocumented residents—has already sparked a multi-state battle over congressional maps. Critics argue such a move would undercount millions, skew representation, and potentially violate the Constitution. Supporters of the proposal, on the other hand, contend it would ensure that only those with legal status are considered for political representation, a stance that resonates with some segments of the electorate but is deeply contested in courts and Congress.
Adding to the unease is a broader trend of departures by career civil servants at the Census Bureau. As the Trump administration has pushed to reduce the size of the federal government, the agency has seen a wave of exits, raising concerns about its ability to produce reliable, unbiased statistics. According to NPR, these departures have left the bureau more vulnerable to political interference and less able to fulfill its mission.
The recent firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner by President Trump, following the release of a weaker-than-expected jobs report, has only fueled those concerns. Observers worry that political pressure on federal data agencies could undermine public trust in the numbers that shape everything from economic policy to disaster relief. If the Census Bureau’s independence is compromised, the ripple effects could be felt for years to come.
So far, Trump has yet to announce a pick for a permanent, Senate-confirmed replacement for the Census Bureau’s top job. Federal law is clear: the director must have experience managing large organizations and working with statistical data. Whether Cook, whose background is in investment and economic analysis, meets that bar is a matter of heated debate. For now, he holds the reins as acting director, but the search for a permanent leader—and the battle over the future of the census—remains far from settled.
As the 2030 census preparations continue, the bureau’s staff and stakeholders are left to wonder what comes next. The appointment of George Cook, the push for a new census, and the broader climate of political intervention have all combined to create an atmosphere of uncertainty. The only thing that seems certain is that the nation’s count, and the fight over who gets counted, will remain a contentious issue for the foreseeable future.
With so much at stake, the eyes of policymakers, advocates, and ordinary Americans alike will be fixed on the Census Bureau. The decisions made in the coming months could shape the country’s political and economic landscape for the next decade—and perhaps beyond.
