Transcripts For CSPAN3 U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Di

CSPAN3 U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham Testifies Before Congress July 14, 2024

Distrust of the government im 35 of africanamericans and 32 of hispanics are very concerned about the census being used against them. Similarly, 39 of people who are not English Proficient and 34 of those born outside the u. S. Are afraid to respond. So theres a lot of fear in our communities that weve got to strive to overcome. The president s executive order and immigration policies and the threatened raids all strike fear in the hearts of many of the communities that are already mistrustful of government. And even though the question will not be on the 2020 census. There is a test in the field right now where 240,000 families are being asked the Citizenship Question. Why is that . This decision to pose the Citizenship Question to hundreds of thousands of people after the Supreme Court rejected it seems hard to reconcile with the reality of the Supreme Court decision and the unbroken defeat of the question in the lower district courts. So now we face the threat of prolonged confusion. And i do hope we can talk about that. The bureau must outline specific steps its taking to increase outreach to the communities whose participation has been chilled. Specifically the bureau must reassure everyone on the confidentiality of the Data Collected. It must reaffirm census data will not be used for Law Enforcement purposes. It must clarify the impact of the executive order on the confidentially use. That it will take to differentiate from Law Enforcement in the field. In light of the damage done, i think the bureau should includes outreach to hard to count communities instetd of sitting on a billion dollars of appropriated funds. Earlier this year the bureau told congress it plans to carry over a billion dollars to fy20 instead of spending it this year. Why is that . I fail to see a compelling reason for the delay. The bureau relies on Partnership Specialists to create relationships in hard to count communities. But its two months behind on filling 1500 positions reportedly due to a backlog in background checks. But we cant afford this delay. Census staffers will soon begin knocking on doors. Shouldnt the bureau be using the leftover funds or the existing funds to clear this backlog . Earlier this year, the House Appropriations report ordered the bureau to improve its Communications Strategy and to open Questionnaire Assistance Centers, qacs, to reach communities missed in the bureaus count. Qacs would seek facetoface assistance from census staff. Qacs only cost the bureau 27 million in 2010. Why isnt the bureau using the carryover funds to open qacs as directed by congress . The bureau has been underfunded for many years now. Its granted a healthy budget. It is refusing to spend it. Outreach for the census should be fully funded now. Finally, the bureau should improve its processes for tracking and implementing security recommendations to safeguard. Found that the bureaus i. T. Systems had efficiencies that violated federal standards. Indicating the bureau is behind schedule in developing its systems for 2020. This is a common theme. Gao has noted the bureau is behind schedule on 104 high Risk Security vulnerabilities or process for implementing security recommendations that were rendered by the department of Homeland Security. That is not acceptable. The bureau is home to one of the largest data bases of identifiable personal information on the American People. The security of this data is pa paramount not only to a well round census but in our system. I trust that the gao has recommendations for the bureau to get back on track and i look forward to hearing its plans for that today. And now i happily will yield to the Ranking Member of the committee. My friend mr. Meadows. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for calling this hearing. Obviously this is not the first hearing weve had on the census. That the census is something that weve had under this administration and under the Previous Administration where weve had timelines that weve been working on so doctor we look forward to hearing from you in terms of how were making progress. I do want to offer i mean, this is mr. Goldencoffs at least ninth hearing as we look at this particular issue. I know when i was chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee, this is of critical importance we get it done right. My fear had been continues to be the sieb security issues. To make sure that we can count on not only the privacy that chairman talked about. I will also offer a lipt buittl of a counternarrative. We spent too much time on the Citizenship Question. Any direction we continue to maintain as it relates to the Citizenship Question is problematic in terms of delivering and actually counting those individuals. I also know that there is a strong outreach. Dr. Dillingham, i want to thank you for those reachout to the underserved communities that the chairman was talking about. The funds that are allocated, i happen to agree that we need to roll those into next year. Because i dont know about any of you, but if there is a thing that most americans are thinking about today, if theres a top 20 list, census doesnt make the top 20 list. Im just telling you. They will make it will make it starting in march and april of next year. Well start to see that in that outreach needs to really be dedicated. But we need to have the systems in place now. So what i would say is identifying those systems, making sure that theyre there, making sure that the way that we collect the data, i know this is going to be a Ground Breaking way that we use the internet like weve never used it before. But we tried that in 2010 and it didnt work. And so the last thing i think this chairman wants or that i want is to have egg on our face when it comes to actually counting every individual. And regardless of where you stand on whether the Citizenship Question be asked or not, it is imperative that we count everybody. And it is imperative that we do that in a way where we can allocate not only the resources, the 650 billion or so that flows to each one of our districts. But that we do it in a fair and accurate way. And so i look forward to hearing from you on that. Ive got a longer written statement that would ask unanimous consent be added to the record. Without objection. And i awpologize in advance have another meeting to get to. Weve got other people coming in but weve got staff paying attention. I yield back. We appreciate that. We appreciate your thoughtful remarks and we will release you to the uncertain fortunes of the article two branch and well stick here with article one branch. But thank you for coming. I now have the pleasure of welcoming our witnesses. First is the honorable steven dillingham, ph. D. Who is the director of the u. S. Census bureau. Robert goldencoff who is the director of Strategic Issues for the u. S. Government accountability office, the gao. And nicolas ma rrkmarinos. I will begin by swearing all of you in. Please rise if you would and raise your right hand. Mr. Keller has been promoted very quickly to the Ranking Member of our committee. So do all of you swear or affirm that the testimony youre about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god . Let the record reflect that the witnesses all answered in the affirmative. Thank you. Please be seated. The microphones are sensitive, so please speak directly into them. Without objection, your written statements will be made part of the permanent record. With that, director dillingham, you are now recognized to give an oral presentation of your testimony for five minutes. Thank you for inviting me. This is an important time for the Census Bureau and the 2020 census. The census clock is ticking. We are increasingly ready and we thank you for your support. Regarding the president s executive order, we are reviewing it. Steps have begun to form the group. We will share updates. Preparation continue unabated and execution is near. The census will begin in remote alaska in less than six months. The nationwide count commences in nine months in march of 2020. It is my opinion one shared by the Census Bureau professionals that we have an outstanding plan built upon best practices with best savings and important innovations. We have teams in place and hirings are under way. Our teams are entering a high phase. Training is continuing. Safety and accountability are progressing. Currently were on boarding tens of thousands of address listers. We appreciate congressional help in recruiting them. With Hurricane Season here, we must be prepared for disasters and unforeseen events. When a disaster strikes, we can and will adapt. Readiness and cybersecurity are paramount. Our integrated operations are working. We test for functionality, scaleability, and of course cybersecurity. Data is encrypted at every stage. We are working closely with government and industry experts. Oversight, accountability, and support are valued. First we are committed to assisting congress and this subcommittee. Second, we appreciate the work of the Government Accountability office and office of the Inspector General. We agree the 2020 census is high risk. Given its scope, complexity, and importance. We appreciate bipartisan support including continued funding. Appropriators requested a plan for additional funds. We developed an option to increase Community Partnership assistance and hard to count outreach. Our highest priority is to reach hard to count groups. We continue to identify and visit such communities found in all states in an urban, suburban, and rural areas. During my travels, i see partners reaching people in new and better ways. Counting children has been a perennial challenge. We are working closely with pediatricians and schools. We have plans to reach the homeless. We have an integrated researchbased Outreach Campaign that messages for diverse communities. I often repeat the message the 2020 census is easy, safe, and important. A member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus recently suggested that i reverse that order. The census is important. Its importance increases daily. And by governments at all levels in developing policies and administering programs for billions of dollars reaching millions of people. Funds support education, transportation, health and human services, safety jobs and more. It is used by governments, businesses, and families. The census is safe. S Congress Passed laws with severe criminal penalties for violations. Census employees take a lifetime oath to protect our data. The Census Bureau sets the highest standard and maintains a culture and practice of protecting data. It is not shared with anyone or any agency. Finally the census is easy. This is due to improvements in technologies. People may complete the census any time, anywhere. Our language assistance will reach more than 99. 6 of the population. This will be the first census ever where people may choose to answer electronically. If people prefer paper, questionnaires will arrive automatically in the mail. Ive described our technologies and tools in context of a familiar story. Late at night a person sees a friend under a street lamp looking for a lost item. The friend joins the search but is having no luck. He asked his friend are you sure you lost it here. The friend says no i dropped it down the block in the dark, but im looking here because the light is better. We can no longer rely on collecting data in the usual ways and places. With internet and phone options, we have tools to go into the less visible hard to count areas and collect the data. In the boroughs of new york us Civic Centers and houses of worship. In South Carolina and georgia, the technology can count persons displaced from villages or rural farms. In maryland you can deploy the tools and establishments like korean corner. Libraries and Recreation Centers alone provide 80 locations with intercontactivity that can and will be used. Partnership specialist also work with Community Groups using computers, laptops and phones to count others wherever they may be, including homeless beneath the freeway. In baltimore amid partners with great ideas and initiative. On the light side i made an offer to the mayor to repeat a wellknown act of a previous mayor. When the opening of the citys aquarium was delayed, that mayor publicly fulfilled his bet on the opening date by jumping with cameras rolling into the aquarium seal pool. I made that pledge to mayor young last week. If the citys Response Rate matches or exceeds the state average, i would love to jump into the seal pool to celebrate the citys success. I expect to lose that bet. The baltimore citys plan that i have with me was released friday. It is complete with extensive partnerships and a host of exciting innovations. I am optimistic about what im seeing across the nation. Preparations are under way. Partnerships are increasing. Interest and enthusiasm are growing. Working together, arm in arm, hand in hand, with new technologies, expanded outreach and Community Partnerships, we can xukt kukt the best census ever, one that complete and accurate. I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you very much mr. Dillingham. Chairman raskin, and members of the subcommittee, were pleased to be here to discuss the census 2020 head count. In recent years we have identified a number of operational, i. T. , Cyber Security and other challenges that raise serious concerns about the bureaus ability to conduct a Cost Effective enumeration. In february 2017, we added the 2020 census to goas risk of highrisk Government Programs and it remains on our high risk list today. My remarks will focus on two such challenges. Implementing Design Innovations aimed at controlling costs and hiring temporary staff. My colleague, nick morenos will, discuss the challenge the bureau faces in implementing and securing critical i. T. Systems. The bottom line is that as the countdown grows short, the bureau has made progress to mitigating facing the census and we are encouraged by the Commerce Department and leadership commitment to carrying out costeffective enumeration. Still, the census may cost as much as 15. 6 billion, a 3 billion increase over the bureaus original estimate and significant uncertainties lie ahead. For example, with respect to Design Innovations to help control costs while maintaining accuracy, the bureau will use new procedures and technology for 2020, including greater use of automated Data Collection methods, administrative records in place of Data Collected by enumerators, verifying most addresses using aerial imagery and other inoffice procedures rather than going door to door and allowing households responsing via the internet. These innovations show promise for controlling cost but also introduce new risks, in part, because theyve not been tested extensively, if at all, in early enumerations. As a result, testing is essential to ensure that key i. T. Systems and operations will function as planned. However, citing budgetary uncertainties, the bureau scaled back operational tests in 2017 and 2018. Without sufficient testing across a range of geographic locations, housing types, living arrangements and demographic groups, operation aal problems n go undiscovered and refining systems can be lost. Another risk factor is hiring of temporary staff. In particular, the onboarding of Partnership Specialists. Currently, the bureau plans to recruit approximately 2. 24 million applicants and from these to hire over 400,000 temporary field staff for two key operations. Address canvassing and nonresponse followup. According to bureau officials, the nations current low Unemployment Rate has not yet impacted their ability to recruit staff and as of july 2019, the bureau reported that for all 2020 census operations, it had processed just over 500,000 applicants. But at the same time, the bureau was also seeking to hire approximately 1500 Partnership Specialists by the end of june 2019 to help increase census awareness in minority communities and hard to count populations. The bureau fell short of this goal with just 903 Partnership Specialists hired as of july 6th. As of july 17th another 872 applicants were awaiting to have their background checks completed. The bureau expects to have all 1500 Partnership Specialists on board by september 1st, 2019. In the coming weeks, it will be important for the bureau to hire and retain the full complement of Partnership Staff planned for 2020. Otherwise, it might affect the bureaus outreach efforts to key communities at risk of being undercounted. In short, the bureau and department of commerce have taken steps to keep preparations o

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