US Census Layoffs / Trump government has also laid off those who work for free, chairman said- I am...

US Census Layoffs: Amid the continuous layoffs of employees in various government departments in the US, a shocking news has come to light. According to reports, the US Census Bureau on Tuesday dissolved external advisory committees of several demographers, statisticians and advocacy group leaders. These committees provided technical expertise to the statistical agency. The special thing is that all the experts working in these advisory committees were not taking any salary in return for their services. They were only being given some travel and accommodation allowances by the government. Experts only took travel and lodging expenses

According to emails shared with the Associated Press, members of the Census Scientific Advisory Committee and the 2030 Census Advisory Committee received a notice on Tuesday stating that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had determined that the committees' work was 'completed.'

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund said in a press release that the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations has also been abolished. Members of these committees only took travel and lodging expenses and did not take any salary.

'The decision to abolish the committees is incomprehensible'

The Commerce Department is responsible for overseeing the Census Bureau and is headed by Trump-appointed Howard Lutnick. Members of the 2030 Census Advisory Committee were appointed less than a year ago. Its chairman Arturo Vargas said in an interview that he was extremely surprised by this decision to abolish the committees. He said, 'I think this is a big setback for the Census Bureau.' According to Vargas, the bureau used to get a lot of help from these external experts and they often played an important role in improving the methodology.

Effects of the US Census Bureau's decision

Experts believe that this decision will affect many important aspects. The technical and statistical advice provided by external experts will no longer be available, which may affect the accuracy of the census. Apart from this, the representation of minorities and other sensitive groups may also decrease.

This decision of the government has been criticized by many organizations and experts. They believe that this step can weaken the statistical system and affect the census process in future. Now it remains to be seen whether any action is taken against this decision or not.