The Insights Association called upon the U.S. Commerce Department to reject a reported proposal to strip race and ethnicity questions from the 2030 Census. If enacted, it would mark the first time since 1790 that the decennial count has not captured this data, a change that would "hobble" the insights industry's work and bring "significant costs and huge risk" for the many other sectors that depend on the industry’s output for informed decision-making.
The August 25, 2026 letter to Secretary Howard Lutnick was prompted by a Talking Points Memo report on a draft Census Bureau rule said to be under consideration at the Commerce Department.
Howard Fienberg, Senior VP Advocacy for IA, "vociferously" urged Lutnick in the letter "not to proceed with" the proposed elimination of the race and ethnicity questions on the 2030 Census.
The Insights Association is the leading trade association for the $89.3 billion market research, insights, and analytics industry in the United States.
An "irreplaceable" benchmark
The letter argued that Census race and ethnicity data function as an "irreplaceable" statistical benchmark, not just one data point among many: "No private data source -- commercial, administrative, or otherwise -- can substitute for the Census Bureau's constitutionally-mandated universal enumeration."
Researchers routinely weight survey data against this benchmark so results reflect the true composition of a population, market or customer base. Without it, the letter warned, "survey results cannot be reliably generalized to the public." Fienberg tied this to a range of everyday business functions -- panel-building, ad-audience measurement, marketing-mix modeling, product testing, retail site selection, and election polling -- and noted that, as AI systems increasingly shape decisions, "authoritative population benchmarks are becoming more important, not less."
The letter also drew a personal connection to Lutnick, noting he has "personally seen the value and importance of capturing and using all available data points" through his oversight of Cantor Insights and other insights functions at Cantor Fitzgerald, and asked him to "keep your own experience front and center" while weighing the proposal.
Removing race and ethnicity data wouldn't just create a gap, Fienberg wrote, it would remove "the anchor that the entire U.S. insights industry uses to gauge the accuracy of its own numbers, and thus unmoor the decision-making insights necessary for the rest of the country. "
The Insights Association letter urged the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau to:
- Withdraw or substantially revise the draft rule, at least as it pertains to eliminating race and ethnicity data collection.
- Provide a full public notice-and-comment rulemaking process.
- Substantively engage directly with data users, particularly the insights industry, before finalizing any changes.
- IA letter to Secretary Lutnick (8/25/26)
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.