Statisticians and demographers are sounding the alarm about threats to official data gathering in the U.S. They warn that funding for the federal statistical agencies is inadequate and measures in a House appropriations bill could undermine what Americans know about themselves. A report released Tuesday by the American Statistical Association also warns that the agencies lack protections against political interference. Other advocates worry about the appropriations bill being considered by the GOP-controlled Congress. They say that bill would limit how many times a respondent can be contacted by federal agencies, and would therefore miss many more people.
