White House moves to guard data after Trump census pressure

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

The Biden White House this month pushed to protect statistical agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau from political interference. Its report was issued just days before newly disclosed documents showed the “unprecedented” extent of the Trump administration’s efforts to gain politically from the 2020 headcount. The report from a White House task force said the American people have a right to expect “accurate information, data, and evidence” from agencies charged with compiling data. Shortly after the report came out, new documents released over the weekend revealed that political appointees in the Trump administration’s Department of Commerce tried to exert unusual influence on the 2020 census, the nation’s once-a-decade head count.