The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to pass a compromise Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding package by January 8, 2025, including money for the Census Bureau, that would stave off another government shutdown. The “minibus” bill excludes a provision opposed by the Insights Association that would have been detrimental to the decennial census and American Community Survey (ACS).
“This minibus legislation includes $1.49 billion for the Census Bureau, a mild increase from FY25, when the Bureau was flat-funded,” said Howard Fienberg, Senior VP Advocacy for the Insights Association. “While that dollar amount is a disappointment -- especially as we are more than half-way through the decade and need to be ramping up for the 2030 Census -- the insights industry applauds Congress for striking the original Sec. 605 of the House bill. That provision would have decimated response rates to all Census Bureau surveys and left the decennial and the American Community Survey (ACS) barely even counting a third of the country.”
- The Trump Administration requested, and the House Appropriations Committee concurred in, $1.6765 billion for the Bureau in FY26 ($294 million above the FY25-enacted level of $1.38 billion). However, the Senate Appropriations Committee offered $1.52 billion for the Census Bureau in their version of the FY26 CJS Appropriations bill (nearly $138 million more than FY25, but more than $156 million shy of the White House’s request).
- Presuming the Senate also passes this funding package and sends it to the President for signature into law, the Census Bureau will receive an approximately $110 million boost in FY26. The Bureau was funded at the same level in FY25 as in FY24.
- Sec. 605 of the House CJS Appropriations bill stated that, “None of the funds in this Act may be used to enforce involuntary compliance, or to inquire more than twice for voluntary compliance with any survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census.”
- The Insights Association led a U.S. business community letter opposing the provision on September 8.
House and Senate appropriations leaders (Republican and Democrats) agreed upon the minibus package, which combines three separate funding bills: Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) (funding the Census Bureau); Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment.
In addition to shoe-leather lobbying on Capitol Hill, IA joined other letters to Congress in 2025, focused on funding in April and October, and concerns about the 2026 Census Test in June. The leading trade association for the insights industry in the U.S. also weighed in on President Trump’s call for a “new census” in August.
Fienberg concluded by noting the importance of high-quality decennial and ACS data to statistically-representative research and the success of the insights industry: "Census data doesn't just determine apportionment of Congressional seats, and distribution of trillions in federal dollars, it also provides the necessary baseline population data underpinning most U.S. private sector business decisions, on everything from where to place a new store and whom to hire, to what products and services to bring to market (and how, where and when).”
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.