Sen. Judd Gregg has withdrawn his nomination to be Obama's commerce secretary. In a statement released by his office, the Republican New Hampshire senator cited "irresolvable conflicts" on issues including the economic stimulus package and the Census.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Census issue, here is some background.
The Constitution requires a census of the U.S. population every 10 years. The results of the census can shift billions of dollars in federal funding for items such as schools, roads and job training. The census also determines the number of representatives each state sends to Congress, the composition of the Electoral College and how congressional lines are drawn. So, this is a Big Deal.
The Congressional Black Caucus and other minority groups have protested Senator Gregg's nomination to head the Commerce Department. As a senator he has voted to cut the bureau's funding, which they claim would result in an undercount of minorities. In response, the White House said it would get more directly involved with the Census Bureau, which traditionally falls under the Commerce Department's jurisdiction. This in turn sparked protests from Republicans.
It is important that the Census be scientifically driven and as free from politics as possible. Seven former Census directors -- serving every president from Nixon to George W. Bush -- to sign a letter last year supporting a bill to turn the Census Bureau into an independent agency after the 2010 Census.
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