Friends of BLS Urge Congress to Provide Appropriations for Modernizing CPS

On September 24, the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), of which COSSA is a member, urged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees through a sign-on letter to modernize the Current Population Survey (CPS) with additional funding in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Jointly sponsored by BLS and the Census Bureau, CPS collects labor force statistics data to help inform the status of the social and economic welfare of the country. Two years of flat funding have required CPS to decrease the sample size of the population survey, creating a detrimental impact on important federal data collection. With 120 signatures, the letter details two key recommendations, including appropriating $12 million in FY 2025 to the BLS Division of Employment and Unemployment Statistics to support current operations as well as funding a multi-year modernization initiative with an initial investment of $15 million.

More information about the sign-on letter can be found on the Friends of BLS website.