Rep. Maloney statement on release of Census Bureau’s “Census Coverage Measurement”

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) issued the following statement upon release by the U.S. Census Bureau of the “Census Coverage Measurement,” a statistical survey whose results are measured against actual census data in order to measure efficiency of the decennial Census:

“Given the threats to success and dire predictions by some going into the 2010 census, today’s news that its accuracy was comparable to 2000 results is good news. The team of career professionals lead by Dr. Robert Groves rightfully should be pleased with the results of today’s measurement.

“That Dr. Groves was able to achieve these metrics in the short time frame after his appointment is a testament to his leadership and to his staff's abilities-- but we still must improve, and should be working to better count those that were missed in 2010 during the next decennial in 2020.

“Regrettably, rather than working now to ensure the next census reduces the undercount, this Congress is instead cutting design and planning funds for 2020-- and, incredibly, passing a measure just last week discontinuing funding for the American Community Survey and the economic census. Congress is simply ignoring the lessons learned from past decennials.”