White House to bypass Commerce on Census?

CQ Politics is reporting that the U.S. Census Bureau will report directly to the White House, and not to the Secretary of Commerce, according to a "senior White House official."

This is a strange twist - keep watching for further updates. Historically, the Census Bureau is folded within the Department of Commerce. Why the change? Glenn Thrush of Politico has his own ideas.

**Thrush updated his blog, with a congressman's take on the issue.

Even the White House weighs in via spokesman Ben LaBolt:

"From the first days of the transition, the Census has been a priority for the President, and a process he wanted to reevaluate. There is historic precedent for the director of the Census, who works for the Commerce Secretary and the President, to work closely with White House senior management -- given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the President. We plan to return to that model in this administration.”