The Census Bureau itself has indicated there is the potential for “serious errors” in the data if it is forced to deliver its findings by Dec. 31.
Wall Street Journal
By Congressman Stephen Lynch
Your editorial “The Next Census Brawl” (Sept. 14) implies that Democrats are the only ones concerned with a shortened Census count, but the Census Bureau itself has indicated there is the potential for “serious errors” in the data if it is forced to deliver its findings by Dec. 31.
The House Oversight Committee, of which I am a member, recently released an internal presentation from President Trump’s handpicked Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, which exposes the risks of the “[h]ighly compressed schedule” and warns that data products “will be negatively impacted under this revised plan.” It cautions that “eliminated activities” will “reduce accuracy,” that the schedule “creates risk for serious errors not being discovered in the data” and that such errors “may not be fixed—due to lack of time to research and understand the root cause.”
Despite your assertion that Democrats haven’t negotiated in good faith with Republicans, we have worked across the aisle to extend the Census deadline. Just last week, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) and Rep. Don Young (R., Alaska) introduced stand-alone legislation to restore the data collection deadline to Oct. 31.
An accurate Census count doesn’t end with a number. It generates data that informs countless critical decisions like where to put hospitals, schools and fire stations. It ensures federal funding is available for programs like CHIP, which provides health insurance for millions of children. The Census underpins all Americans’ equal representation in Congress. This isn’t a matter of partisan politics or political “brawls.” House Democrats will continue to pursue our fact-based concerns about an inaccurate count and the harmful consequences that will ensue.
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D., Mass.)
Boston
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