Hansi Lo Wang for NPR:

An apparent attempt by the U.S. Census Bureau to follow an executive order by President Trump targeting gender identity led to the public losing access for days to certain key statistics.

Close to two weeks after users first noticed many parts of the bureau’s website — like those of other agencies — had gone dark, the federal government’s largest statistical agency has yet to make any public statement about the disappearing data and research, at least some of which now appears to be restored.

The lack of an official explanation from the bureau — known for producing closely monitored indicators about the U.S. population and economy — is raising concerns among data users about threats to public trust in the agency and its independence from political interference, as Elon Musk’s team within the Trump administration known as the Department of Government Efficiency seek data access at multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics….