The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“URGING THE PRESIDENT TO WORK WITH CONGRESS TO SAVE THE CENSUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5959-H5960 on July 21, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
URGING THE PRESIDENT TO WORK WITH CONGRESS TO SAVE THE CENSUS
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the increasing partisanship of the White House over their embattled Census plan. Last week the White House made two comments that demonstrated how far they will go to get their way.
First, they announced their intention to shut down a huge part of government over the Census, and later in the week the Vice President made some racially divisive and inaccurate comments.
Let me begin by making the majority position on the Census very clear. We want to save the Census from failure. The General Accounting Office and the Commerce Department's own Inspector General have warned that the Clinton administration is risking a failed Census plan. Their plan is too complicated and relies on unrealistic assumptions and timelines. We cannot allow the Census to fail. The 2000 Census will cost about $4 billion, and we cannot risk that kind of money on a plan that probably will not work.
What Republicans want to do is work with the administration to save the Census. We have some very specific problems with the administration's plan. Experience has shown that sampling used on a large scale just is not accurate enough for a Census.
In 1990 the Census Bureau tested sampling and compared it to the actual enumeration. For cities and towns with populations under 100,000, the actual enumeration, that is, counting everyone, proved to be more accurate and reliable. So we do not believe we should spend $4 billion on a plan that has failed its only test. That does not seem to make much sense.
Another major problem is the deletion of Americans from the official Census count. Again, when they tried this in 1990, 1.46 million Americans were removed from the sampled Census. Under the Clinton Census plan, it will happen again. It is wrong to use statistics to remove individuals from the Census count. Because statistics is an imprecise science, real Americans who exist will be removed from the count, and cities and towns all across America will lose representation.
If Members are concerned about the undercount, as I am, then they have to be equally concerned about a Census that removes real people from the official count. They, too, would be undercounted under sampling.
We are concerned that the administration is moving forward without the consent of Congress. They simply ignore the fact that the Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to direct how the Census is conducted. Much of the Census is about trust. The American people have to trust the outcome of the Census or else it is worthless.
If the administration ignores Congress, they will guarantee a failed Census. They need to work with us so all Americans have faith that the process was inclusive and open.
That is why I was disappointed to hear last week that President Clinton wants to shut down the government over the Census. He wants to sign a bill that provides 6 months of funding for the whole Commerce Department, the whole State Department, and Justice Department, so he can have leverage over the Census.
Can Members believe the President wants to take cops off the street to get his way over the Census? Can Members believe the President wants to hold U.S. foreign policy hostage to the Census? Why would he want to shut down the Border Patrol over the Census? It is irresponsible, and goes against his 1995 statement when he said, ``It is wrong, deeply wrong, to shut down the government while we negotiate.'' Work with Congress, Mr. Speaker, and we will have a better Census.
I was, along with many of my colleagues, saddened by comments made by Vice President Gore at the annual NAACP convention. He told the participants that the Republicans ``don't even want to count you in the Census.'' These outrageous comments do nothing to unite America, and do nothing to help save the 2000 Census from failure.
Congressional Republicans are prepared to make an unprecedented effort to count all Americans. We have provided more money than the President requested so we can do a much better job of counting minorities. I hope the administration stops trying to divide America over the Census, because that will not lead to a more accurate Census, and it certainly will not increase trust in the Census.
Mr. President, work with Congress. I ask the President to stop holding the rest of government hostage to getting his way on the Census. Stop trying to divide America against one another. Work with Congress, and together we can save the 2000 Census.
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