Census Hearing Wrap Up: Census on Track to a Complete & Accurate Count

WASHINGTON – Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing on “Providing the Census Bureau with the Time to Produce a Complete and Accurate Census.” Even though the Democrats didn’t invite any officials from the Census Bureau to testify, career officials recently told the Committee in a transcribed briefing that the 2020 Census will be completed on time and accurately under current deadlines. Despite this fact, Democrats continue to peddle false narratives that are easily refuted.

At today’s hearing, Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) pointed out that the facts contradict the Democrats’ false narrative about the 2020 Census.

“The facts contradict the Democrat’s narrative about the 2020 Census so they’re just going to ignore them. The truth is that technological improvements have made it possible to gather information more efficiently than ever before. Here are the facts about the 2020 Census according to career Census Bureau officials. As of September 8, 2020:

• Nationwide, 88.8 percent of all households have been counted in the 2020 Census.
• Nationwide, 66 percent of the non-response follow-up caseload has been completed.
• Twenty-five states have counted 90 percent or more of all households.
• All states have counted more than 75 percent of all households.
• Enumerators in the field are working at a more productive pace than expected.
• 232,000 enumerators are working across the country with another 69,000 enumerators in training to begin work.

“These are the real facts about the census that all Americans should know. The Democrats know these facts but are choosing to ignore them.”

Representative Jody Hice (R-Ga.) dispelled the Democrats’ alarmist narrative that the 2020 census won’t be accurately completed.

Hice: Is the Census Bureau ahead or behind projections to complete the census count?

GAO Witness: They are ahead of schedule according to their plan at this point.

During the hearing, Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and an expert witness also pointed out that a citizen’s vote is diluted when illegal immigrants are counted in the Census for congressional representation.

Jordan: Is a citizens’ vote diluted when illegal immigrants are counted in the apportionment number?

Hans von Spakovsky: They both certainly are. By including them in the apportionment count, you are devaluing the vote of those particular citizens individually and you are cheating particular states out of congressional representation in the House when other states get more representatives because of individuals, who like tourists, aren’t supposed to be counted in the Census for apportionment purposes.

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