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1 1 (January 13, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govetez0001 and id is 1 raw text is: The Chief Statistician of the United States: Overview and Analysis January 13, 2026 The chief statistician has the broad responsibility of providing coordination, guidance, and oversight for the federal statistical system (FSS). The FSS is a decentralized institution comprising more than 100 agencies, organizational units, and programs across the U.S. government that engage in statistical activities. The FSS includes 16 recognized statistical agencies and units (RSAUs), which have the primary purpose of engaging in federal statistical activities. On July 10, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced the appointment of Mark Calabria to be the chief statistician of the United States, replacing the former chief statistician, Karin Orvis. Authorizing Authorities The chief statistician role was originally established in statute by the 1986 reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The role was expanded with the passage of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (FEBPA). Through Section 3504(e)(7) of Title 44 of the US. Code, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator appoints a chief statistician via authority delegated by the director of OMB. According to the US. Code, the chief statistician is to be a trained and experienced professional statistician that would carry out their role in coordinating the FSS. The chief statistician has typically headed the Statistical and Science Policy Branch within OIRA. Role of the Chief Statistician Within the general responsibility of coordinating the FSS, the chief statistician has responsibilities generally established in statute, such as heading the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP), involvement in the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM), and the development of statistical policy directives (SPDs). Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12639 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress