Commerce Department's Data Gathering To Continue Despite Budget Cuts

Abstract

Both houses of Congress are locked in a heated debate over the continued existence of the Department of Commerce and the potential reshuffling of the majority of its functions to other agencies. Among a group of economists familiar with the chemical industry, a general consensus has emerged that the statistical information derived mainly by two of the department's units—the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)—is valuable for governmental policy making and business planning alike. This data gathering likely will remain intact somewhere within the government. Under one scenario, Commerce's 1996 budget would be reduced by $1 billion from the present $4.2 billion allocation but the department would remain intact. But under a bill originally put forth by House Republicans in May, the Commerce Department would be dismantled, with many of its statistical duties and programs—which benefit the chemical industry—transferred to other federal government agencies (C&EN, Sept. 18, page 26). T...