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Congressionol Research Service
nforming the IegisI9tive debate since 1914
January 23, 2025
Fundamental Responsibilities of Recognized Statistical Agencies
and Units, the Trust Regulation
The federal statistical system (FSS) includes 16 recognized
statistical agencies and units (RSAUs). Statistical policy
and the RSAUs are coordinated by the chief statistician,
operating from the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB's) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(OIRA).
RSAUs produce data that are used for many purposes, such
as informing various policy decisions, guiding federal
funding, offering the public insights on population trends,
and helping the private sector make informed business
decisions. To effectively fulfill this function, federal
statistics must earn the public's trust by being relevant,
timely, accurate, objective, and confidential.
As of December 10, 2024, OMB's proposed Fundamental
Responsibilities ofRecognized Statistical Agencies and
Units-commonly referred to in the statistical community
as the Trust Regulation-took effect, aiming to promote
public trust in federal statistics.
Public trust in federal statistics is a long-standing concern.
In 2002, through the Confidential Information Protection
and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA; P.L. 107-347),
Congress found there was a
declining trust of the public in the protection of
information provided under a pledge of
confidentiality to the agencies [which] adversely
affects both the accuracy and completeness of
statistical analyses.
CIPSEA was reauthorized as part of the Foundations for
Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (FEBPA; P.L. 115-435).
The reauthorized CIPSEA established four fundamental
responsibilities that RSAUs must adhere to:
* produce and disseminate relevant and timely statistical
information;
* conduct credible and accurate statistical activities;
* conduct objective statistical activities; and
* protect the trust of information providers by ensuring
the confidentiality and exclusive statistical use of their
responses. (44 U.S.C. §3563)
Prior to CIPSEA enacting these requirements into law,
these four fundamental responsibilities were issued in
Statistical Policy Directive (SPD) No. 1: Fundamental
Responsibilities of Federal Statistical Agencies and
Recognized Units.
This In Focus explains the provisions of the final Trust
Regulation and how they aim to support the fundamental
responsibilities of the RSAUs. Selected issues for
congressional consideration in regard to the implementation
of the Trust Regulation are also discussed.
Trust Regulation Overyiew
Through the Trust Regulation, OMB aims to standardize
certain qualities of the RSAUs as well as facilitate
increased coordination and support, where applicable,
between RSAUs and their respective parent agencies. These
efforts aim to support RSAUs in carrying out their four
fundamental responsibilities.
Supporting the Four Fundamenta Responsibilities
As noted in CIPSEA, in 2002 Congress found a declining
public trust in federal statistics. Since then, public trust in
the federal government overall has generally declined,
according to the Pew Research Center. Response rates to
federal statistical surveys have also declined, such as for the
Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
The Trust Regulation aims to improve public trust in
federal statistics by providing formal guidance for RSAUs
and their parent agencies to carry out the fundamental
responsibilities listed earlier.
This guidance includes topics such as development of
websites with coordinated branding across the FSS; clear
strategic plans for RSAUs; improved communication and
coordination between RSAUs and parent agencies; budget
requests specific to RSAUs; decisionmaking authority for
RSAUs in their statistical activities; and other general
support needed for RSAUs to carry out their fundamental
responsibilities.
Relevance and Timeliness
Timely and relevant statistics are valuable because they
provide up-to-date information used in decisionmaking. To
ensure relevance and timeliness, the Trust Regulation
requires RSAUs to maintain regular understanding of the
needs and interests of policymakers, data users, and the
public. Additionally, when seeking improvements to
relevance, RSAUs must consult with their parent agencies
and with other stakeholders, including Congress, as
appropriate.
Credibility and Accuracy
To promote credibility and accuracy, the Trust Regulation
requires RSAUs to maintain publicly available policies and
standards on the quality of the information they use;
provide publicly available documentation on their statistical
products; and ensure appropriate data lifecycle management
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