Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY), Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's oversight hearing on 2020 Census preparation:
The subcommittee will come to order.
Today we welcome Dr. Steven Dillingham, the Director of the Census Bureau; Kevin Smith, the Chief Information Officer of the Census Bureau; Robert Goldenkoff, the Director of Strategic Issues at the Government Accountability Office; and Nicholas Marinos, the Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office. You are all here to talk about the 2020 Census preparations, which are now in their final stages.
We are now in the critical stages of the rollout and administration of the 2020 Census. Unfortunately, as we discuss the funding needs for fiscal year 2020, we seem to have more uncertainty than I have ever seen at this point in the decennial cycle. That is almost entirely the result of the decision to try and add an untested citizenship question to the form. While we wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the legality and constitutionality of that addition, I am deeply concerned that the Bureau remains unprepared for and unwilling to admit culpability in creating this situation.
In particular, I am worried that the Bureau remains seriously unready to administer a Census that includes a citizenship question. I have heard little of any plans to allay community fears in immigrant communities about what this information is used for. You are only studying the impact of the question this summer, when it will be too late to adjust outreach and communications strategies based on the results. Your budget request of $6.149 billion for the 2020 Census is inadequate and does not include funding for a contingency fund previously requested by Secretary Ross. I’m not sure if these decisions are yours, Director Dillingham, but it is apparent that the White House and the Secretary have little interest in a fair or accurate Census. In other words, the fix is in.
I realize, Director Dillingham, this mess is not entirely your fault. After all, you were not confirmed when the decision was made to add a citizenship question to the decennial form, and you report to the Secretary of Commerce, who instigated this political farce in the first place. I have no doubt about your desire, or the desire of the thousands of Census Bureau employees, to administer a Census that accurately reflects how our country has grown and changed. But you have been dealt a very bad hand, and you are being forced to administer this census at an extreme disadvantage.
Today, I hope we can hear about the Bureau’s preparations for next year, what challenges remain, and how the Bureau will react when the Supreme Court rules on the validity of the Secretary’s process for changing the decennial census form. This committee stands ready to help you in every way possible, and our questions today are designed to highlight our concerns and our communities’ needs as you move forward. We hope you and your staff are paying close attention to these concerns.
With that, let me turn to my friend, Ranking Member Aderholt, for any remarks he might have.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
