House Democrat Seeks Hearing on Staffing Cuts at Federal Statistical Agencies

WASHINGTON, The top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee is pushing for a congressional hearing on staffing losses at federal statistical agencies, following a report documenting deep cuts that have already forced the Bureau of Labor Statistics to cancel a longstanding data series.

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the committee's ranking member, sent a request to committee Chairman Rep. Tim Walberg asking that the panel convene in September to examine what the losses mean for agencies responsible for producing the government's core economic and social data, according to Government Executive, which reviewed the letter.

Scott cited findings he called "alarming." The American Statistical Association's 2026 midyear report found that all 13 principal federal statistical agencies had shed workers since the start of the Trump administration, with six losing at least a third of their headcount and two losing more than two-thirds, according to Government Executive's reporting on the ASA document.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is among the hardest hit. The bureau cut its staffing by 20 percent between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2026, Government Executive reported. Last month, BLS announced it would no longer publish monthly state-by-state snapshots of job openings, hiring, layoffs, and worker separations. Instead, the bureau said it would publish that data in annual releases covering the prior year, a significant reduction in the frequency and granularity of information that economists, businesses, and state governments rely on.

The Senate confirmed Brett Matsumoto as BLS's new permanent director last week, but Government Executive noted that many of the bureau's leadership positions remain vacant.

The education data operation is also under pressure. Scott wrote in his letter that projects and studies run by the National Center for Education Statistics, covering school crime and safety, teachers and principals, and adults' skills, remain "inactive" amid the cuts, according to Government Executive. Other work has been reduced in scope or transferred elsewhere.

The department's press secretary, Savannah Newhouse, said in a statement that the center and its parent office, the Institute for Education Sciences, "were in need of reform," and that the administration "is committed to ensuring that IES delivers usable, high-quality statistics, data, and resources for educators, researchers, and other stakeholders," Government Executive reported.

The agriculture data shop has also contracted sharply. USDA's Economic Research Service cut a third of its workforce between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2026, according to Government Executive. ERS, which tracks agricultural markets, food security, and rural economies, plans to relocate employees to Kansas City this fall.

"It is both the Administration's prerogative and our concern that staff departures will continue to undermine the ERS's irreplaceable work to understand the challenges faced across the country regarding agriculture and food security," Scott wrote, as quoted by Government Executive.

The ASA's midyear report was blunt about the stakes. "Whether these developments prove temporary or mark a longer-term reduction in the nation's statistical capacity will depend largely on future staffing, funding, leadership appointments, and policy decisions, requiring close attention and strong actions from Congress and the administration," the report states, according to Government Executive.

The Census Bureau, meanwhile, remains under acting leadership after roughly a year and a half without a permanent director, even as it ramps up preparation for the 2030 population count, Government Executive reported. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has not had a permanent director in three years.

Federal News Network separately reported that Scott requested the September hearing to examine how lower-quality and less-frequent data releases will affect the public.

The committee has not announced whether it will schedule the hearing.

Sources cited:
- Government Executive (https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/08/statistical-agency-staffing-cuts-federal-data-scrutiny/415399/)
- Federal News Network (https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2026/08/lawmakers-want-insight-into-staffing-and-funding-at-statistical-agencies/)
- Government Executive (July 2026 background) (https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/07/staffing-cuts-are-leaving-federal-statistical-agencies-stretched-thin/415104/)