The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs convened an oversight hearing today to address significant gaps in data collection that hinder effective and coordinated federal policy for U.S. territories. Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) commented on the issue, stating, "Data gaps make it challenging to efficiently plan and implement policy. Inaccurate or unavailable data increases the risk of government waste. It also creates barriers for local communities from accessing critical federal programs and opportunities. Quality and robust data, on the other hand, enables policymakers and the government to carry out targeted programs and ensure that laws are carried out in the manner they were intended. Furthermore, it ensures that the local communities are represented when assessing the distribution of federal resources."
The U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) face substantial deficiencies in federal data collection. Over 100 agencies within the U.S. federal statistical system gather data across various sectors such as population, labor participation, transportation, education, economic health, among others. However, this data collection is less comprehensive for these territories compared to U.S. states and Washington D.C., with many federal statistical products either excluding all or some of these areas.
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled "U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Address Data Gaps" highlighted these significant deficiencies primarily due to federal agencies not including U.S. territories in many statistical products.
Even when included in a statistical product, inconsistencies remain in reporting frequency; for instance, much of the planned 2020 Island Areas Census data on American Samoa, Guam, and USVI was not released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Today's hearing aimed to uncover reasons behind existing data gaps and find comprehensive measures to close them responsibly while ensuring thorough reporting by relevant agencies.
