Mark Calabria, the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), was appointed to be the country’s chief statistician by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought on July 10.
Calabria will take over for outgoing U.S. Chief Statistician Karin Orvis in OMB’s Statistical and Science Policy Branch. The role entails a significant amount of interagency coordination to maintain the integrity of federal statistics and data availability during leadership transitions and organizational changes.
“At least for a little while, a few extra responsibilities as Chief Statistician of the United States,” Calabria wrote in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter).
In April 2019, Calabria became the second Senate-approved FHFA director and remained in the role until June 2021, after which he joined the Cato Institute as a senior advisor. Vought tapped Calabria to help with leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in February.
Calabria spoke with October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster about his time at the FHFA and his thoughts on the CFPB during an episode of the Keys to Real Estate podcast in December.
Nick Hart, president and CEO of the Data Foundation, issued a statement following Calabria’s appointment, noting the importance of the chief statistician role.
The “Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act,” signed by President Donald Trump during his first term, expanded the responsibilities of “Recognized Statistical Agencies and Units” (RSAUs) – the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and others – and culminated in OMB’s recent Public Trust Rule, which took effect in December 2024.
“As stated in the final rule, ‘public trust in federal statistics is essential to their value and use in informing decisions across public and private sectors,’” Hart said. “The Public Trust Rule establishes four fundamental responsibilities for RSAUs: producing relevant and timely statistical information, conducting credible and accurate statistical activities, conducting objective statistical activities, and protecting the trust of information providers through confidentiality protections.”
The chief statistician is tasked with coordinating with 16 recognized statistical agencies on implementing the responsibilities described in the rule while also ensuring they have the autonomy and resources needed to maintain public trust.
Hart indicated his hope that the new statistician will address his organization’s concerns about rapid changes in capacity and decision-making to federal statistical activities following significant staffing cuts facilitated by the Department of Government Efficiency.
“The chief statistician's role in protecting statistical agency independence and relevance is vital,” he added.
The National Academy of Public Administration’s 2020 Information Policy Task Force emphasized the importance of sustained OMB leadership in coordinating data and evidence activities across government, which will become even more relevant with the implementation of the new Public Trust Rule.
Leaders of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) expressed gratitude toward Orvis for her three years of service as chief statistician.
“She has proven to be an excellent partner in the COPAFS mission to ensure federal statistics remain transparent, reliable, timely, and granular,” COPAFS Executive Director Paul Schroeder said. “Her regular updates to COPAFS members on OMB activities and the federal statistical system were very informative. From the beginning of her tenure in 2022, Dr. Orvis has tackled this incredibly complex and demanding role admirably. She has helped to advance excellence in federal statistics via several initiatives which promoted transparency and the reliability of the federal statistical system.”
COPAFS Board Chair Dr. Felice Levine commended Orvis for her “extraordinary leadership” and “deep understanding of and commitment to the role and functions of statistical agencies in the U.S. and worldwide, for public service marked by human kindness and decency to all.”