Summary: Statistical agencies are dispersed throughout the federal government. The Office of Management and Budget has identified 70 federal agencies that each spend at least $500,000 annually on statistical work. Of the 70 agencies, 11 are considered to be the lead statistical agencies because they collect, produce, and disseminate statistical information as their primary mission. These 11 agencies together spend about $1.2 billion annually on statistical work. The mission of these agencies is to ensure that the statistical data they collect, produce, and disseminate are accurate, reliable, and free from political interference and impose the least possible burden on individuals, businesses, and others responding to requests for data. This testimony discusses (1) the quality of federal statistics, (2) how the federal statistical system's decentralized structure affects statistical quality, (3) whether consolidating the statistical functions now housed in the Commerce Department with those of other federal agencies could provide a more streamlined and effective federal statistical system, and (4) whether the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis benefit from being housed in the Commerce Department.
