APDU

👀

She was an incredible colleague and an amazing human.

I have known a lot of public servants and every single one of them was driven - at least in part - by selfless care for our collective good.

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

Screenshot of table from IPUMS blog. Full text at link in post.

❗❗❗ You may have heard that USDA ended a long-running data collection on food insecurity and called it "redundant." Our friends @kcww.bsky.social and Isabel Pastoor at @ipums.bsky.social fact-checked that claim.

Read what they found:
blog.popdata.org/food-securit...

Young Republicans challenge 2020 census results as part of wider GOP attack on head count Two young Republican groups have challenged the 2020 census results in a Florida federal court. They claim the statistical methods used were flawed.

Today's story: apnews.com/article/2020... 
Young Republicans challenge 2020 census results as part of wider GOP attack on head count

Does your work or field of study relate to counting or characterizing populations, or generating/using population data to make decisions? If "Yes" to any of these, then this conference is for you. Submit your session proposal by Oct. 23: buff.ly/cpJKBKC

Sign up to help with DR efforts If you are interested in staying in touch or trying to organize a DR event or otherwise, please let us know.

Data rescue efforts keep us from sliding into #1984. ⚓ Celebrate #BannedBooksWeek with us and join the efforts.

Volunteer with the DRP: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Senator Banks recently called the 2020 Census a “fraud.” In our latest blog post, we break down the facts.

Yes, there were challenges, but overall the count was remarkably accurate. The one thing we can all agree on is that Americans deserve a fair and accurate decennial census.

Did you know? The melting point of data is also #Fahrenheit451. 🔥

Fight censorship in all forms this #BannedBooksWeek, and help ensure public access to public data remains a public good.

ICPSR job advertisement with the University of Michigan logo. Text reads: We're hiring! Executive Secretary. Find out more and apply at myumi.ch/D8RbR. Apply by 10/22/25.' www.icpsr.umich.edu

📣 We’re hiring! ICPSR is looking for an Executive Secretary to join our team. Learn more & apply by 10/22/25! ➡️https://myumi.ch/D8RbR

👀

Former heads of US Bureau of Labor Statistics say Trump's attacks erode trust in data President Donald Trump's unwarranted attacks on the integrity of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics were undermining trust in economic data and had accelerated retirements of key personnel at the agency, former BLS commissioners said on Wednesday.

Former heads of US Bureau of Labor Statistics say Trump's attacks erode trust in data reut.rs/4h5uBsb

SCOOP: The Bureau of Labor Statistics is preparing to release the September C.P.I. report despite the shutdown. (Exact date still unclear -- almost certainly not the original Oct. 15 date.) #EconSky #NumbersDay

Since it's in the news... again...
"Census counts were imperfect, but not in the ways you might think."

Read the latest from our friends at @dataindex.us

dataindex.us/newsletter/a...

***TAKE ACTION***
If you want to see the Food Security Supplement reinstated, FRAC has made it easy for you to reach out to your Congressperson:
secure.everyaction.com/0vI9xoDpCkeD...

Is the shutdown affecting your research?
@popassocamerica.bsky.social is collecting examples to support their advocacy work.

YouTube video by NAPSG Foundation Navigating the HIFLD Transition: Lessons from HIFLD Open's Sunsetting

Did you miss our Rapid Response on HIFLD?

You can watch the recording (and learn how to take action) here:
youtu.be/SsO-VpRCLME?...

A lawsuit tries to block the Trump administration's efforts to merge personal data A class action lawsuit argues that the administration's efforts to combine databases of personal information on Americans violate privacy laws and the Constitution.

compilation of personal data a "bullseye for hackers"
www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...

Trump’s new IRS ‘CEO’: The head of Social Security The Trump administration on Monday found its seventh leader for the Internal Revenue Service since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term: the head of the Social Security Administration.

Trump’s new IRS ‘CEO’ is also... the head of Social Security???
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

As of Sept. 23, the federal workforce had lost over 201,000 civil servants according to the @ourpublicservice.bsky.social. These reductions hurt the integrity of public services because the federal govt must be fully staffed to best serve the American people. ourpublicservice.org/federal-harm...

***Reminder: Join us for just 30 minutes on Tuesday to learn how to take action to protect the nation's only comprehensive source of food security data.***

A major census test begins recruiting workers as some warn about delays The Census Bureau is looking for temporary workers to carry out next year's major field test of the 2030 census in six states, as the national head count's advocates raise concerns about preparations.

BREAKING: The Census Bureau’s website says applications are now open for temporary “2026 Census Test” jobs in six states as some of the national head count’s advocates warn about delays in preparing for next year’s major field test of the #2030Census

🚨 To receive FEMA Emergency Management Performance Grants, states must now certify that their population counts as of 9/30 exclude people removed under US immigration laws.

Regardless of one’s philosophical view, our latest blog outlines several technical concerns.

🔗 dataindex.us/newsletter/a...

Guest Post: Eggs Don’t Grow on Trees and Neither Does Data: How to Teach K-12 Students Where Data Comes From Second in a series of posts about federal data and the Federal Statistical System.

New post! It's the second installment in our series on the significance of federal data. This one on teaching students where data comes from! 🐣

#FederalData

Hopes fade for quick end to shutdown as Trump readies layoffs and cuts WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown were fading Friday as Republicans and Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. Senators were headed back to the Capitol for another vote on government funding on the third day of the shutdown, but there has been no sign of any real progress toward ending their standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend health care benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on a House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels. “I don’t know how many times you’re going to give them a chance to vote no,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at a news conference Friday. He added that he would give Democratic senators the weekend to think it over. Although Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the Senate’s filibuster rules make it necessary for the government funding legislation to gain support from at least 60 of the 100 senators. That’s given Democrats a rare opportunity to use their 47 Senate seats to hold out in exchange for policy concessions. The party has chosen to rally on the issue of health care, believing it could be key to their path back to power in Washington. Their primary demand is that Congress extend tax credits that were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic for health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Understand this, over the last few days and over the next few days, what you’re going to see is more than 20 million Americans experience dramatically increased health care premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican unwillingness to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.” The shutdown gamble Democrats are running the high-risk strategy of effectively voting for a government shutdown to make their stand. Trump has vowed to make it as painful as possible for them. The Republican president has called the government funding lapse an “unprecedented opportunity” to make vast cuts to federal agencies and potentially lay off federal workers, rather than the typical practice of furloughing them. White House budget director Russ Vought has already announced that he is withholding billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in states with Democratic senators. On Friday morning, Vought said he would withhold another $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects to extend its train system to the city’s South Side. Jeffries has displayed no signs of budging under those threats. “The cruelty that they might unleash on everyday Americans using the pretense of a shutdown is only going to backfire against them,” he said during an interview with The Associated Press and other outlets at the Capitol. Still, the shutdown, no matter how long it lasts, could have far-reaching effects on the economy. Roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and they could lose out on $400 million in daily wages. That loss in wages until after the government reopens could drive down wider demand for goods and services. “All around the country right now, real pain is being endured by real people because the Democrats have decided to play politics,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. Who will take the blame? The American public usually spreads the blame around to both major political parties when it comes to a government shutdown. While Trump took a significant portion of the blame during the last partial government shutdown in 2018 as he demanded funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, this standoff could end differently because now it is Democrats making the policy demands. Still, lawmakers were relentlessly trying to make their case to the American public with a constant beat of news conferences, social media videos and livestreams. Congressional leaders have been especially active. Both sides expressed confidence that the other would ultimately be found at fault. And in the House, party leaders seemed to be moving farther apart rather than closer to making a deal to end the shutdown. Jeffries on Thursday called for a permanent extension to the ACA tax credits. Meanwhile, Johnson and Thune told reporters that they would not negotiate on the tax credits until the government is reopened. Talks in the Senate A few senators have engaged in bipartisan talks about launching negotiations on extending the ACA tax credits for one year while the Senate votes to reopen the government for several weeks. But those discussions are in their early stages and appear to have little involvement from leadership. As senators prepared for their last scheduled vote for the week on Friday, they appeared resigned to allow the shutdown to continue at least into next week. Thune said that if the vote failed, he would “give them the weekend to think about it” before holding more votes. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, in a floor speech, called for Republicans to work with her and fellow Democrats to find “common ground” on the ACA subsidies, saying their expiration would impact plenty of people in states with GOP senators — especially in rural areas where farmers, ranchers and small business owners purchase their own health insurance. “Unfortunately, right now our Republican colleagues are not working with us to find a bipartisan agreement to prevent the government shutdown and address the health care crisis,” she said. “We know that even when they float ideas — which we surely do appreciate — in the end the president appears to make the call.” ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed.The post Hopes fade for quick end to shutdown as Trump readies layoffs and cuts first appeared on Federal News Network.

Hopes fade for quick end to shutdown as Trump readies layoffs and cuts

"One reason so many people are unaware of the federal statistical system is that it’s rarely taught in schools. Students often learn what data are...But they are seldom taught how data are collected"

@clairemkbowen.bsky.social & A Williams have some thoughts about how to fix that
apdu.org?p=5813998

You have #shutdown questions?

Our friends @csmarcum.bsky.social and @datageekb.bsky.social talked through the answers over at @dataindex.us

Call for Volunteers — Citizen Science Project: Monitoring Federal Statistical Product Releases As part of the American Statistical Association project assessing and monitoring the health of the federal statistical agencies, the project team is launching a “Citizen Science” project. This project...

@amstatnews.bsky.social is launching a citizen science effort to monitor the health of the federal stats system. We ❤️🛟 citizen science efforts 😉

Get involved today! docs.google.com/forms/d/1jI4...

This webinar is co-hosted by @dataindex.us, FRAC, @prbdata.bsky.social, and APDU