Commerce Department

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after meeting in November.

The U.S. supports China's growth if it 'plays by the rules,' commerce secretary says

9:10am December 05, 2023

China's president says success for the U.S. and China can be mutually beneficial. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says that the reality is a bit more complicated than that.

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President Biden's ambitious proposals to address the high cost and short supply of child care haven't garnered enough support in Congress, so now his administration has come up with a workaround.

Politics & Government

Biden has big ideas for fixing child care. For now a small workaround will have to do

5:00am March 17, 2023

by Andrea Hsu

The administration is turning to semiconductors in the hopes of expanding affordable child care.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has been confirmed as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau.

Biden's Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, Confirmed By Senate

6:08pm March 02, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Gov. Gina Raimondo, the first woman to lead Rhode Island, is cutting short a second term as governor to oversee an eclectic portfolio of U.S. Commerce Department agencies, including the Census Bureau.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo appears through video conferencing Tuesday during a Senate hearing for her nomination as the secretary for the Commerce Department, which oversees the U.S. Census Bureau.

'Take The Politics Out Of The Census,' Biden's Commerce Pick Raimondo Says

5:41pm January 26, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, expected to oversee the U.S. Census Bureau as the next commerce secretary, says she will "rely on the experts" at the agency to ensure the 2020 census is accurate.

Over the past three months, the Trump administration has added four political appointees to the U.S. Census Bureau, which is headquartered in Suitland, Md.

Census Bureau Gets 4th Trump Appointee In 3 Months As Count Nears End

6:44pm September 30, 2020

by Hansi Lo Wang

The abrupt addition of appointees at a federal statistical agency largely run by career civil servants has raised concerns about political interference with the 2020 census.

Census Bureau partnership specialist Zakera Ahmed (left) and Jeff Behler, a regional director with the bureau, share information about the 2020 census at an elementary school in Corona, N.Y., in July.

A Half Million 2020 Census Jobs: Will They Be Filled In Time?

9:40am October 22, 2019

by Hansi Lo Wang

The Census Bureau hopes to hire around a half million workers by next spring to complete the national head count. But it's running into trouble with low unemployment and background-check delays.

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., pauses as the House Oversight and Reform Committee votes on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for failing to turn over subpoenaed documents related to the Trump admi

Trump Blocked Congress From Seeing These Emails About The Census Unredacted

5:24pm June 14, 2019

by Hansi Lo Wang

President Trump has claimed executive privilege over emails and memos that Democratic lawmakers say may reveal the real reason why the administration pushed for a census citizenship question.

Huawei employees wait for a shuttle bus at the company's campus on April 12 in Shenzhen, China. A senior Huawei official says Google is talking with the U.S. government on behalf of the Chinese telecom giant.

Huawei Chairman Hopeful Google Can Influence U.S. Officials

1:35pm June 07, 2019

by Aarti Shahani

Google is, in effect, negotiating with the Commerce Department on behalf of the Chinese telecom giant, according to the senior Huawei official.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the Census Bureau, straightens his papers during a 2018 Senate hearing in Washington, D.C. Ross is testifying before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about the census on Thursday.

Commerce Secretary To Face Lawmakers In Hearing On Census Citizenship Question

5:00am March 14, 2019

by Hansi Lo Wang

After fending off requests to testify in lawsuits over the census citizenship question, Wilbur Ross goes before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross listens to President Trump at the White House in March. Ross' decision to add a question about U.S. citizenship status to the 2020 census sparked six lawsuits from dozens of states, cities and other groups that want the ques

How The 2020 Census Citizenship Question Ended Up In Court

10:18am November 04, 2018

by Hansi Lo Wang

The Trump administration added a question about U.S. citizenship status that could undermine the quality of 2020 census information. Dozens of states and cities are suing to get the question removed.