COPAFS

COPAFS

@copafs.bsky.social

Advancing Excellence in Federal Statistics

403 followers68 following152 posts

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

SIGN-ON: Recent revisions made to the Commerce Dept's Scientific Integrity Policy removed language banning policial interference and providing whistleblower protections. COPAFS has drafted a letter asking that this language be restored. Orgs can sign-on by COB Oct 7. forms.gle/UeFt9MWoz3YH...

forms.gleCommerce Scientific Integrity Policy Revisions Organizational Sign-on FormDATE: October **, 2026 TO: Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce RE: Request to Reconsider Specific Revisions to the Department of Commerce Scientific Integrity Policy (DA...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee (I-CSAC) will hold its Fall 2026 meeting on Thursday, September 17, from 2:00–5:00 PM ET. To send a public comment, email CensusScientific@gmail.com with subject line: “I-CSAC Fall Meeting Public Comment”. Comments are due Sep 16 at noon ET.

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The Friends of BLS is hosting a community mixer at Sudhouse DC on Sept 16 at 5PM. We hope any and all local members of the Friends will come join us! If you are not a member yet, come out and see what we are about! Membership is free and comes with a social appt. forms.gle/ZPG96YZq5CCz...

forms.gleFriends of BLS Community Mixer - Sept 16Friends of BLS is hosting an early‑evening community mixer on Wednesday, September 16, from 5–7 PM at Sudhouse DC (1340 U Street, NW). This casual gathering is an opportunity for our partners to conne...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

BLS is hiring a Research Mathematical Statistician (GS-14). This is a unique opportunity to lead cutting-edge statistical research that directly impacts the integrity and quality of high-impact government data products. Application deadline: Aug 31. www.usajobs.gov/job/881505600

usajobs.govResearch Mathematical StatisticianThe Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making. The position is lo...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

A 60-day FRN was recently published outlining a proposed field test for the SIPP in 2027. The field test would be in lieu of a national collection using the current questionnaires, systems, and processes. Comments are due by Oct 6. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

federalregister.govAgency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collec...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Friends of BLS Statement on the Confirmation of Brett Matsumoto as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2026...

friendsofbls.orgFriends of BLS Statement on the Confirmation of Brett Matsumoto as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashington, D.C. — Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (FoBLS) welcomes the confirmation of Brett Matsumoto to serve as the 17th Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Matsumoto ...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Friends of BLS supports the bipartisan AI Data Act. "Artificial intelligence is transforming work in real time, and policymakers need reliable, timely data to understand what is changing, where, and why," says Friends of BLS Co-Chairs. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2026...

friendsofbls.orgFriends of BLS Applauds Bipartisan AI Data Act for Strengthening Federal Labor Market Statistics — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashington, D.C. — Friends of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (FoBLS) today announced its support for the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Data Authorization and Transparency (AI DATA) Act of ...

COPAFS reposted

B Jarosz
@datageekb.bsky.social

Replying to @sromalewski.bsky.social

The concern is that this affects EVERYTHING. RDC projects. Special tabs. Small area estimates. Public microdata. Block level 2030 census counts may not be possible. 2020 dp was annoying. This is scorched earth on *everything.*

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Concerning news regarding using DP for federal statistics (AKA public data). Coarsening or suppression will be the new privacy safeguards of choice. This has implications well beyond the Commerce Dept.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him)@hansilowang.bsky.social

NEW: The Trump administration is banning one of the Census Bureau's main ways of protecting the confidentiality of people's responses to the #2030Census and other surveys — added statistical "noise," or data for fuzzing survey results www.commerce.gov/opog/disclos...

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

An important white paper has just been released which explores the deleterious effect the firing of the BLS Commissioner on Aug 1, 2025 had on the U.S. economy. Reliable statistics matter! @ericagroshen.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w35135

nber.orgThe Value of Reliable StatisticsFounded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Bottom Line: "None of these revisions represents a departure from past practice. They reflect how a transparent, rules-based statistical system absorbs delayed information during periods of rapid change."

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The Friends of BLS have released a statement on the nomination of Brett Matsumoto for BLS Commissioner which outlines criteria useful in evaluation of any nominee for this position. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2026...

friendsofbls.orgStatement on Brett Matsumoto’s Nomination for BLS Commissioner — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsStatement on the Nomination of Brett Matsumoto to Serve as the 17th Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a world-class 142-year-old institution, is at...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The Trump Administration has nominated Brett Matsumoto as the next BLS Commissioner. He has been a research economist at BLS since 2015 in the Division of Price and Index Number Research and recently served on the CEA.

COPAFS reposted

dataindex.us
@dataindex.us

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our webinar, The Day Federal Data Went Dark: A Year of Monitoring and Action. We are grateful to be in a community with so many amazing organizations. You can watch the recording to learn about more than a dozen efforts to monitor and safeguard federal data.

tinyurl.comThe Day Federal Data Went Dark: A Year of Monitoring and ActionJanuary 31, 2025, is infamous as the day thousands of federal datasets and webpages went dark. While many of these resources have since been restored–often after being scrubbed of references to gender, DEI, and climate–they continue to face significant risks. In the webinar, we mark the one-year anniversary of this takedown to discuss the current state of federal data and recognize the immense amount of work that has been done to defend these public resources. Leaders from the data community will share insights on monitoring tools they have developed and the actions being taken to safeguard essential federal data. This webinar is cohosted by dataindex.us and the Association of Public Data Users. 0:00 Introduction 2:53 EssentialData.US x Federation of American Scientists 6:51 American Statistical Association 10:31 CDC Data Project 14:17 Friends of BLS 17:50 Public Environmental Data Partners 21:24 The Leadership Conference Education Fund 26:26 Movement Advancement Project 30:37 Population Association of America 35:05 Democracy 2025 40:42 Data Rescue Project 44:16 Population Reference Bureau 47:14 Association of Public Data Users 50:10 dataindex.us 55:19 Conclusion
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Reducing max contact attempts to 2, would have dramatically reduced response to data collection efforts at Census.

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him)@hansilowang.bsky.social

NEW: House Appropriations Committee's latest version of its Census Bureau funding bill no longer calls for altering #2030Census results used for divvying up congressional seats. The bill also no longer calls for taking away the bureau’s ability to “inquire” more than twice to get a survey response

rules.house.govrules.house.gov

COPAFS reposted

Erica Groshen
@ericagroshen.bsky.social

New statement from Friends of BLS: "Some controversy...erupted on Dec. 30 following release of a highly informative Q&A that addressed how [BLS] estimated the Nov. 2025 CPI. We..find no reason to see the hand of politics anywhere in the Bureau’s CPI work..." www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

friendsofbls.orgCo-Chairs of the Friends of BLS Statement on the CPI Estimates for November 2025 — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsMany of the Friends of BLS follow the Bureau’s publications and press statements very closely. So do many who have not yet found the Friends but nevertheless value what BLS does, particularly in the a...

COPAFS reposted

Justin Wolfers
@justinwolfers.bsky.social

Hard disagree. The official BLS jobs numbers are still the most reliable data we have, and it's not close. And there's no way the Administration has (yet) fiddled with its data. I promise to let you know at the first whiff of interference.

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

The only reliable data we are going to get on this stuff now comes from the private sector. bsky.app/profile/atru...

COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

PAA is hosting a Congressional Briefing on Dec 10 in 2075 Rayburn. The briefing is entitled "US Birth Rate Trends: Patterns Drivers and Implications for American Families." And yes, ice cream will be made available. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

docs.google.comU.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for American FamiliesPlease join us for an engaging presentations about U.S. fertility trends and related policies. An expert panel of leading social scientists will discuss national and international birth rate trends ...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The #FriendsofBLS has posted FAQs which explain what is likely to happen with reagrd to BLS data collection and releases. both during and after the shutdown. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

friendsofbls.org2025 Government Shutdown FAQs on BLS Data — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe Friends of BLS  The 2025 Government Shutdown and BLS Data: Questions & Answers How will the government shutdown, which may be over by the time you read this, affect BLS data? F...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The #FriendsofBLS are seeking organizational and individual support for their FY26 BLS Endorsement Letter which asks for no less than the House mark of $714M for the Bureau. Link to orginizational sign-on below; individual sign-on form in comments. forms.gle/z9RacEBDAbEY...

forms.gleFriends of BLS FY26 Endorsement Letter Organizational Sign-on FormNovember xx, 2025 The Honorable Susan Collins, Chair Senate Appropriations Committee Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Tom Cole, Chair House Appropriations Committee Washington, DC 20515 The Honora...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

On Oct 23, the #FriendsofBLS hosted a webinar featuring @ericagroshen.bsky.social, @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social and Bill Beach giving an update on BLS and #FriendsofBLS activities as well as issuing a call to action. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

friendsofbls.orgVIDEO: Friends of BLS Member Webinar - Oct 2025 — The Friends of the Bureau of Labor StatisticsOn Thursday, October 23, 2025, the Friends of BLS hosted a webinar featuring three former BLS Commissioners: Erika McEntarfer, Bill Beach, and Erica Groshen. The webinar gives an update o...
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

Dont forget to register for the #FriendsofBLS webinar this Thursday at 12p!

COPAFS@copafs.bsky.social

The #FriendsofBLS will hold a webinar on Oct 23 at noon. Former Commissioners Erica Groshen, William Beach, and Erika McEntarfer will offer updates, describe strategies, and offer a menu of concrete ways for interested members to engage with Friends of BLS. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

us02web.zoom.usWelcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Friends of BLS Member Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Friends of BLS Member Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
COPAFS
@copafs.bsky.social

The #FriendsofBLS will hold a webinar on Oct 23 at noon. Former Commissioners Erica Groshen, William Beach, and Erika McEntarfer will offer updates, describe strategies, and offer a menu of concrete ways for interested members to engage with Friends of BLS. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

us02web.zoom.usWelcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Friends of BLS Member Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Friends of BLS Member Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.