Last month, the federal government proposed sweeping changes to the U.S. census, the constitutionally mandated count of every person living in the country. Conducted every ten years since 1790, census data is foundational for everything from the allocation of billions of dollars federal funding to the enforcement of civil rights laws to scientific and private sector research on America’s changing population. Yet in an unprecedented decision, the government is now seeking to eliminate all questions about race and ethnicity for the next count in 2030.
If adopted, the government’s proposal would have harmful, far-reaching consequences. It would gut the nation’s most trusted source for data not only on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, now more than 25 million strong, but all communities that call the U.S. home. It would make it harder to know where our communities reside and understand the growing populations of distinct AAPI subgroups.
And, it would strip policymakers, researchers, and organizations like ours of timely information needed to measure, understand, and address our community’s biggest challenges over the next decade–hindering our ability to confront discrimination, support students and small businesses, and even monitor health outcomes.
We encourage community leaders to submit comments opposing the proposal to remove questions about race and ethnicity by November 2, 2026. You can do so by visiting regulations.gov and entering “USBC-2026-0628” in the search box, then click “Comment.”
If adopted, the government’s proposal would have harmful, far-reaching consequences. It would gut the nation’s most trusted source for data not only on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, now more than 25 million strong, but all communities that call the U.S. home. It would make it harder to know where our communities reside and understand the growing populations of distinct AAPI subgroups.
And, it would strip policymakers, researchers, and organizations like ours of timely information needed to measure, understand, and address our community’s biggest challenges over the next decade–hindering our ability to confront discrimination, support students and small businesses, and even monitor health outcomes.
We encourage community leaders to submit comments opposing the proposal to remove questions about race and ethnicity by November 2, 2026. You can do so by visiting regulations.gov and entering “USBC-2026-0628” in the search box, then click “Comment.”
