I am sorry to hear that Rob Santos has resigned from being director of the US Census Bureau.
Robert Santos decides to resign as US Census Bureau director midway through a 5-year term … [Santos] said in a letter Thursday evening that he made the decision “after deep reflection.” … The Texas native said in his letter that he planned to spend time with his family in retirement. [AP]
Dr Santos was also a past President of the ASA (American Statistical Association) and, from what I’ve heard, well-respected as the director at the Census Bureau.
I am wondering whether this letter is publicly available. I have not seen it on news sources or the Census Bureau website. Dr Santos’ LinkedIn post about the resignation merely says “It’s been such an honor to serve our nation.”
I had hoped Dr Santos would stay on through his full 5-year term, as long as possible, to minimize politicization (or appearance thereof) of the Census Bureau’s work.
Beyond the Census Bureau, there is plenty of other statistical turmoil at the moment:
At the direction of the Trump administration, the federal Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies are purging its websites of information and data on a broad array of topics — from adolescent health to LGBTQ+ rights to HIV. [NPR]
I would love for the current ASA leadership to rally its members, helping us to work together to support our federal statistical agencies and statistical civil servants.