Could A Census Without A Leader Spell Trouble In 2020?
John Thompson was appointed by President Barack Obama to head the U.S. Census Bureau in 2013 and had worked there for 27 years before running it. So the announcement in May that he was resigning — smack in the middle of a one-year term extension — came as a surprise to many, including census watchers.
It leaves the bureau without a leader in the midst of feverish preparations for the 2020 count. There has been much hand-wringing since, amid worries that a leadership vacuum could hinder the once-a-decade effort to count how many people there are in this country, who they are and where they come from.
The 2020 count is a BIG DEAL. There are consequences for all Americans, but especially for the most vulnerable if it's not done right. Civil rights organizations worry that if you undercount the poor or racial and ethnic minorities (which has happened in the past) that may affect how federal money is spent on everything from education to transportation, not to mention how it could alter political representation.
John Thompson came to NPR to talk with about his work and the upcoming count, before
