President Obama's pick to lead the 2010 census has pledged to lawmakers that he will maintain his independence at the helm of the decennial count.
Robert Groves, who this week submitted written answers to a questionnaire prepared by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote that he would "actively resist any attempt at interference" by outsiders. Groves said he would resign if he encounters overwhelming political pressure that would compromise the process.
Republicans are wary (subscription) that census officials might attempt to use statistical sampling to correct for an undercount of minorities, an adjustment that would result in a boost in funding and congressional representation for Democratic areas.
Groves, whose confirmation hearing is set for Tuesday, reiterated the statement of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke that there are "no plans" to use sampling to adjust census data. "On matters of the scientific bases and statistical properties of the census ... the White House can have no role," Groves added.
By CARRIE DANN, CongressDaily
Former Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt will become involved with the 2010 decennial count as the agency's part-time consultant, the Commerce Department confirmed today. Prewitt, a Clinton-era appointee who ran the bureau from 1998-2001, was widely considered to be a frontrunner to return to the post in advance of next year's population count but withdrew his name from consideration earlier this year.
President Obama nominated another former bureau official, Robert Groves, earlier this month to fill the post instead. Now a professor at Columbia University, Prewitt will work "a couple days a week" with bureau officials to troubleshoot problems that arise as the nation's largest peacetime mobilization effort gets underway, said Commerce Department spokesman Nick Kimball.
House Republicans, who have raised concerns that the potentially controversial headcount will be unduly influenced by the White House, have drafted a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to object to Prewitt's "back door entry" to the bureau without going through the Senate confirmation process. Democrats scoffed at the complaint, pointing out that it is hardly uncommon for former federal officials to offer expertise on a part-time basis. "Considering former Secretary [Carlos] Gutierrez used [Prewitt] as a consultant, too, you have to ask why the Republicans are in such a tizzy," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. Groves' Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for May 6.
By ANDREW NOYES, CongressDaily
The Obama administration's selection of a Patent and Trademark Office director cannot come soon enough, according to officials inside the agency. They cite serious cash-flow problems, internal cutbacks and a downturn in the number of applications filed and patents granted amid continued U.S. economic gloom. "We need a new director just as soon as we can get one," Patent Office Professional Association President Robert Budens said Monday.
While the administration and Commerce Department, which houses PTO, have been tight-lipped about the appointment, sources say Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is involved and an announcement could come in the next week or two. Oft-mentioned prospects for the job include Q. Todd Dickinson, who ran the office under former President Bill Clinton, Silicon Valley attorney Jim Pooley and IBM Vice President David Kappos.
During his March confirmation hearing, Locke vowed not to let urgent issues like the 2010 census crowd out topics like improving the patent office's productivity. The agency faces a backlog of more than 750,000 applications.
The 2010 census has been a source of controversy throughout the transition period, beginning in early February with President Obama's selection of Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to run the Commerce Department. The pick created a firestorm of protest (subscription) from minority groups who believed Gregg was unsupportive of efforts to adequately count their constituencies in the census -- leading the administration to announce it would wrest control of the Census Bureau from Commerce. This move created another angry backlash (subscription), this time from Republicans complaining that the White House was politicizing the census and making an unprecedented power play. When Gregg resigned on Feb. 12, he cited the census as one of the main reasons.
The storm seemed to die down when Gregg's replacement, former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, insisted to Congress that Commerce would retain control of the Census Bureau after all. But a new controversy has emerged over Obama's pick to head the bureau, Robert Groves, a statistics expert from the University of Michigan. This time, Republicans are concerned that Groves will introduce statistical sampling to the 2010 count -- a practice that he unsuccessfully advocated as a bureau official in the early 1990s.
Eliza Krigman has more on the Groves controversy, and the difficulties facing the bureau less than a year out from the census, in this week's National Journal (subscription).
By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
President Obama is tapping Robert Groves, a University of Michigan professor who has pushed the use of statistical sampling, to be the next Census Bureau director, the Associated Press reported. A Commerce Department official said the White House will make the announcement today.
Groves is an expert in survey methodology and statistics who served as an associate director of the Census Bureau from 1990-92. He and others recommended that the 1990 census be statistically adjusted to make up for an undercount, only to be overruled by then-Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher, a Republican.
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as Commerce secretary. The voice vote makes Locke, 59, the 15th member of President Obama's Cabinet and leaves only HHS Secretary-designate Kathleen Sebelius remaining to be confirmed.
Locke, a Democrat, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor. He was Obama's third pick to run the Commerce Department, after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., withdrew from consideration.
By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved President Obama's choice for Commerce secretary, former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, in a vote off the Senate floor this morning. Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., announced during Locke's confirmation hearing Wednesday that he intended to move quickly to clear the nomination and hoped to have the full Senate vote soon. A leadership aide said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., would work with Republicans on an agreement for a vote but did not indicate a timeline.
Commerce Secretary-designate Gary Locke today affirmed that the yet-unnamed Census Bureau director will report directly to him, answering after being pressed by Senate Commerce ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
House Republicans have been vociferous opponents of an initial Obama administration announcement, made when Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., was its choice to head the Commerce Department, that the Census Bureau director would report to the White House. Gregg eventually withdrew his nomination amid the census controversy.
Addressing GOP fears that the apportionment of federal resources and congressional redistricting -- determined by the decennial census -- would be influenced by a politicized inflation of minority and hard-to-reach populations, Locke vowed that the bureau will use an actual head count for apportionment and has "no plans to use any kind of statistical sampling with respect to population count."
For more on the hearing, read CongressDailyPM (subscription).
by JEANNETTE LEE, CongressDaily
Sens. Thomas Carper, D-Del. and John McCain, R-Ariz., and others on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee are urging the president to nominate a Census Bureau director, pronto.
With just a year until the decennial count, the bureau has yet to thoroughly test new technologies, is thin on staff and is far from solving the long-standing problem of undercounting ethnic minorities, a GAO official told the panel at a hearing Thursday.
Given the tight deadlines, the leadership vacuum at the Census Bureau badly needs filling, said Carper, the subcommittee chairman.
"Uncertainties surround the bureau's readiness for 2010," testified Robert Goldenkoff, director of strategic issues at GAO. "They are under the gun."
Goldenkoff and five other witnesses said a good troubleshooter at the helm would be key to pulling off what is slated to be the country's most expensive national headcount to date. Former Census Bureau Director Barbara Bryant urged the subcommittee to "do everything in your power and use your influence on the administration" to get a new director.
Carper asked each witness to recommend two prospects by the close of business today "who you think are well-equipped to do this job." Carper said he would forward the names to Commerce Secretary-designate Gary Locke, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and "probably" to Vice President Joe Biden, Carper's former fellow senator from Delaware.
"Maybe the administration has its own candidates," Carper said, but "we'll submit a talent pool in case they need help in that regard." Carper told CongressDaily he didn't have any nominees in mind, but "we know there are good people out there."
NextGov has more on the challenges facing the bureau as 2010 approaches.
For his third nominee to lead the Commerce Department, President Obama has turned to Gary Locke, who combines the gubernatorial experience and Democratic pedigree of first pick Bill Richardson with a fiscal conservative streak more reminiscent of second pick Judd Gregg.
Locke built a decidedly pro-trade record during his eight years as the nation's first Chinese-American governor in Washington state and then as a China trade specialist with an international law firm. Locke helped arrange deals in China for Microsoft, Boeing and Weyerhaeuser. He guided Washington through a serious budget shortfall, but he took some criticism for doing it in part by cutting services. He also helped push a successful ballot initiative that linked Washington's minimum wage to inflation.
A comparison of Locke's positions to those of his two predecessors for the Commerce job follows after the jump.
By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
Updated at 1:30 p.m.
Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke was introduced this morning as President Obama's nominee to head the Commerce Department. Obama has to be hoping the third time's the charm. His two earlier choices for the post, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., both withdrew.
"I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times, but I'm a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right," Obama joked at the press conference announcing Locke's nomination. "And Gary is the right man for this job." Obama went on to praise the country's first Chinese-American governor for his work wooing business to Washington state and for growing the state's high-tech economy. With this pick, the only Cabinet seat without even a nominee is back down to one: Health and Human Services was originally intended for former Sen. Tom Daschle, who withdrew his nomination after it emerged he had failed to pay all his income taxes.
Subscribers can view Locke's Almanac of American Politics profile here.
By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, a Democrat, is expected to be named soon as President Obama's third choice for Commerce secretary.
Locke, 59, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor when he served two terms in the Washington statehouse from 1997 to 2005. He now works in the Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine.
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson backed away from the post after initially accepting offers from Obama.
The withdrawal of Judd Gregg's nomination for Commerce secretary has commentators and editorial boards reeling. Here's a roundup from some of the major newspapers and Web sites.
The Washington Post predicts that "there will be plenty of questions about both sides of this collapsed merger."
According to the Wall Street Journal, Gregg's departure "indicates that President Obama's life with the left-wing of his party may become a sea of troubles."
"Obama is lucky to be rid of Gregg," declares The Nation's John Nichols. "This nomination was always a case of taking the 'team of rivals' fantasy to extremes."
George Stephanopoulos views Gregg's withdrawal as an "embarrassment to both men."
The London Daily Telegraph's Toby Harnden gives 10 reasons why this is a "major blow" to Obama.
Edward Luce sees this as evidence that Obama's "once widely praised vetting machine is in danger of seizing up" and as "a setback for Mr. Obama's bipartisan aspirations."
Recounting the other three major departures from Obama's Cabinet, the New York Post editorial board writes that "it's refreshing to hear that Gregg's departure is occasioned not by scandal, but by something rarely seen in Washington -- principle."
Kansas City Star columnist Barb Shelly believes "things are looking good for Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius being offered the Health and Human Services position. With Obama's people now back at Square One on the commerce job, they'll probably want to get the HHS post filled quickly. Or maybe she'll get a look for commerce secretary."
Karl Rove, Linda Chavez and other political insiders offer their thoughts in the Washington Post.
Hotline On Call has a roundup of Thursday night's TV commentary.
Updated at 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 12
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., this afternoon became President Obama's second Commerce secretary nominee to withdraw his name from consideration, citing differences over the stimulus package and the administration of the census. Gregg had been Obama's third Republican Cabinet nominee.
In a statement, Gregg thanked Obama and praised his leadership. "I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle," Gregg said.
"However," the statement continued, "it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy."
The administration has drawn fire from Republicans over its decision to move the Census Bureau, traditionally part of the Commerce Department, under White House control. The move was reportedly (subscription) a response to criticism from black and Latino advocacy groups over the nomination of Gregg, who they believe obstructed efforts to fully count minorities in the previous census. House Republicans today threatened legal action (subscription) over the administration's move.
Of course, some differences between Obama and Gregg were apparent from the beginning. "Clearly, Judd and I don't agree on every issue," Obama said when the nomination was announced on Feb. 3, "most notably who should have won the election."
Obama's original choice for the job, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, withdrew in January over pay-to-play allegations.
Read Gregg's full statement after the jump.
By ALINA SELYUKH
(Credit: Getty Images)
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., weren't frequently mentioned in the same breath until President Obama nominated first one and then the other to head the Department of Commerce. Both have served stints as governors, and they shared six years on the House floor in the '80s -- that about covers the similarities. So it raised some eyebrows that, after nearly a month with no Commerce nominee, Obama would choose Gregg for a position he'd previously envisioned Richardson filling.
During the announcement of Gregg's nomination, Obama acknowledged the seeming incongruity of his pick. "Clearly, Judd and I don't agree on every issue," he said, "most notably who should have won the election." In fact, Gregg's opinion of the very department he is now set to lead has differed sharply from his Democratic colleagues: He voted in 1995 for a budget resolution that would have eliminated the agency outright. Possibly the closest Gregg has come to sounding like a Democrat was when he helped George W. Bush prepare for the 2000 and 2004 presidential debates by playing Al Gore and John Kerry during Bush's pre-debate prep.
But even if Gregg tempers his conservatism to better fit the White House's policy agenda, how different an influence will he be at Obama's conference table than Richardson? The examination, based on the two nominees' previous statements and actions, is after the jump.
By LUCAS GRINDLEY
The selection of Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to head the Commerce Department shows how important the Obama administration expects it will be to forge bipartisan agreements, said Linda Bilmes, a former assistant secretary in President Clinton's Commerce Department.
"Just looking at what happened in the House last week with the stimulus package, you can see that old habits die hard in terms of partisanship and so forth. So I think that it's a welcome development that Senator Gregg will join this administration," she said in an interview mainly about how to prevent waste in the stimulus package and about her upcoming book on improving the federal workforce, titled The People Factor.
Bilmes praised Gregg's knowledge of budgeting and said it will be an asset while brokering compromises. "He was on the Senate Budget Committee. He's been in the appropriations world for years. I think he has a very good understanding of the budget, of the competing issues and so forth. And I think that the need -- in the economic crisis -- the need to try and create a bipartisan approach is a very, very important need. And I think that government will be stronger for having that."
Bilmes said that since her former agency focuses largely on science, "a lot of what the Commerce Department does is very bipartisan in nature."
Read more from Blimes in today's Insider Interview at NationalJournal.com. Check back next week for more about her book, which outlines how the government can spend $10 billion on efficiency to earn a $300 billion return.
By ALINA SELYUKH
In a move Sen. Judd Gregg described as "extraordinary," President Obama named the New Hampshire Republican as his nominee for secretary of Commerce, rounding out his economic team and filling one of the last two vacancies in the Cabinet.
"He's seen from all angles what makes our economy work for communities, businesses and families -- and what keeps it from working better," Obama said in his remarks this morning. Obama went on to praise his nominee for his fiscal conservatism and for "reaching across the aisle to get things done." Gregg will be the third Republican addition to the Cabinet, following Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Gregg served four terms in the House and two as New Hampshire's governor before running for Senate in 1992. He currently sits on the Commerce Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, a point Obama made during his introductory remarks.
Gregg spoke sharply about Obama during the campaign but today called the president's economic plan "bold and aggressive, comprehensive and effective." As the Commerce Department's "steward," Obama said, Gregg will "defy the winds of this crisis" by guiding his team to rebuild infrastructure, create jobs, promote industry and retain U.S. leadership in science and technology developments.
The nomination of the 61-year-old senior senator comes almost a month after the original nominee, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) of New Mexico, bowed out, citing a pending investigation into his administration's possible involvement with lucrative contracts to a political donor.
The news of Gregg's potential nomination had Democrats exulting over a chance to add another Senate seat to their caucus, giving them a supermajority there if they are officially awarded the disputed Minnesota contest. But Gregg proved unwilling to give up the seat if it would tip the Senate's balance further in the Democrats' favor. "I have made it clear to the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle and to the governor that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate," he said earlier this week. In his acceptance comments today, Gregg thanked New Hampshire's Gov. John Lynch (D) for "courtesy and courage in being willing to make this possible" by agreeing to appoint a Republican as Gregg's Senate successor.
Sure of the senate balance remaining stable, Gregg turned to bipartisanship appeals in his final remarks. "This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. This is a time to govern and govern well," he said, accepting the nomination. "It was my obligation to say yes."
The president and his new Cabinet pick took no questions from the assembled press.
UPDATED at 12:55 p.m. to reflect Tom Daschle's announcement that he would withdraw his nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services.
Tech Daily Dose reports on two names already circulating as possible replacement picks to head the Commerce Department now that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration. The post is Barack Obama's last remaining Cabinet position.
Two prominent business executives' names are being circulated among Washington insiders as potential nominees for Commerce secretary just a week after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- President-elect Barack Obama's first choice -- withdrew his name, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state government. Several high-tech industry officials and congressional aides say John Thompson, chairman and CEO of computer security and systems management firm Symantec, and former Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons, are two of the top contenders for the job. A spokesman for Obama's transition team declined to comment.
Complete story can be read here.
By DAVID HERBERT
In his first public appearance since announcing Sunday that he was withdrawing his nomination to become Commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson insisted that the decision to step aside was his alone and hinted that he'd like to serve in the Obama administration down the line.
"Sometimes your own dreams and plans must take a back seat to what is best for the nation," Richardson said at the mid-day press conference in Santa Fe. "The president-elect said in his statement yesterday that he looks forward to my future service in his administration. I still believe I have a lot to give in public service."
A federal grand jury is investigating whether the New Mexico Finance Authority awarded $1.5 million of work to California-based CDR Financial Products in 2004 as a result of pay-to-play politics. CDR donated more than $100,000 to two of Richardson's political committees, in addition to other contributions.
Richardson maintained that he and his administration acted properly and said he had "underestimated" how long the investigation would take. Richardson declined to answer when a reporter asked the final question of the press conference: "Governor, do you have a lawyer?"
Given Richardson's stated reason for withdrawing was that he did not want to slow the nomination process, President-elect Barack Obama will likely move quickly to fill the post.
But with the sudden Cabinet vacancy, "every special interest group that feels under-represented will see this as an opportunity to redress that wrong," said David Rothkopf, a former deputy undersecretary of Commerce for international trade under President Clinton. Latino leaders are already calling on Obama to nominate another Hispanic.
All things being equal, Rothkopf argued that Obama would be wise to tap a governor with experience growing a large economy. Considering the dire need to reboot the Midwest's economy, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) might not be a bad pick.
"Probably the best choice would be [New York City Mayor] Mike Bloomberg," Rothkopf said, "but I think he's got other plans."
Just weeks after being tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to be Commerce Secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending probe into a company that has done business with his state government. Richardson issued a statement saying the federal grand jury investigation into a firm, which contributed to his political career and won a sizable state contract, "promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months."
Richardson, who would have led an agency that oversees the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Patent and Trademark Office, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said he and his administration have "acted properly in all matters" and the investigation will bear out that fact. However, he concluded the probe would have forced "an untenable delay in the confirmation process." Obama issued a statement calling Richardson "an outstanding public servant" and said it is was a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he removed himself from the running. Read more in CongressDaily (subscription required).
By DAVID HERBERT
If Barack Obama wants to prioritize e-government, he might look to the Commerce Department, which has quietly gained a reputation for being one of the most Web-savvy departments in the federal government.
Commerce has long been viewed as a sprawling, almost ungovernable bureaucracy, but over the last few years it has seen significant advances in areas both small (online video) and large (the 2010 census).
"I think the Commerce Department has been aggressive and progressive," said Arnold Jackson, associate director for the 2010 census.
Recently, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez pushed the Census Bureau to overcome technological barriers and offer an online form for the 2010 census, Jackson said. While the security software wasn't quite there to make the jump online in time for 2010, offering an Internet-based questionnaire is at "the very top of our agenda" for 2020, he added.
Commerce Secretary-designate Bill Richardson will oversee the 2010 census, and, depending on how long he serves, could be around when planning begins for the 2020 survey.
The bureau is also rolling out American FactFinder, an online database geared towards letting users dive into census numbers for themselves.
"I really think we're heading towards a Google-like approach to information search and dissemination," Jackson said.
Another Commerce agency, the Patent and Trademark Office, has turned to the Web in recent years to help alleviate its chronic backlog of applications, and Richardson could push for further movement online. The agency has an online wiki where the public can examine scores of software and business applications and point out existing inventions that might disqualify a submission.
Continue reading E-Government Ball Already Rolling At Commerce.
Pundits debate whether New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's announced nomination for Commerce secretary was a slight to the Latino community. Plus: Members of the media and Obama agree that he should bring back the beard.
(Credit: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
The wires are reporting this afternoon that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) will join the incoming administration in the role of Commerce secretary, and that Barack Obama will make the announcement official at a press conference tomorrow morning. (Check back then for coverage of the presser.)
If true, this would make Richardson the third of Obama's primary opponents to find roles in the administration, continuing the trend toward a "team of rivals." It would also mark a return to the Cabinet for Richardson, who served as President Clinton's Energy secretary after a year as ambassador to the United Nations.
As detailed in the Almanac of American Politics, Richardson's tenure in the Clinton White House was not without its rough patches:
In January 1997 Richardson was nominated as ambassador to the United Nations. Here was an opportunity to be a major player in foreign policy, although Richardson was cabined in by the close supervision of his predecessor, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. But he did negotiate agreements between the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and opposition forces and secured the release of Red Cross workers held hostage in Sudan, and the foreign policy experience he was gaining seemed likely to make him a plausible vice presidential candidate in 2000 or later. The only embarrassing thing about his service was the fact, later disclosed, that at the request of a White House staffer and without asking why, he offered a job to Monica Lewinsky; she rejected it as insufficiently grand.Then in June 1998 Energy Secretary Federico Pena resigned and Bill Clinton, eager to have at least one Hispanic in an official cabinet position, shifted Richardson to the post. This was not really a promotion: Energy is a department that is made up of several unrelated agencies, some of them with deep troubles at the time. One of those was the Los Alamos National Laboratory, from which, it seemed, secret documents about the assembly of nuclear weapons made their way to China.
Richardson was much criticized in Congress for his work on improving security in the national laboratories, and his connection to the Wen Ho Lee security case was a political liability. Later, in May 1999, two hard drives with designs of the nation's nuclear labs were found to be missing after a fire; in June 1999 he decided not to appear at a Senate committee hearing on the issue, on the grounds he had no answers; at a later Armed Services Committee hearing he was lambasted by Robert Byrd, who said he would never be confirmed for another job (the hard drives were later found behind a copying machine). He was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate in 2000 -- the Democrats would have loved to run a Hispanic -- but his name soon fell off the list.
See Richardson's full Almanac profile here.
