Democratic Leaders of Color Urge Action to Prevent Census Undercount

Democratic leaders of color, including Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) are warning that the Coronavirus pandemic risks disproportionately undercounting historically underserved communities.

In the letter to Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham, the Tri-Caucus Chairs and Native American Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Deb Haaland are requesting immediate action and answers to their questions about census operations impacted by COVID-19, but also critical to a complete count in 2020.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was already widespread concern that communities of color would be undercounted in the 2020 Census, as they have been in all past decennial censuses,” the Members wrote. “The pandemic has since then added unprecedented barriers to the enumeration of all Americans and early analysis of the response rates of the 2020 Census show that these barriers are disproportionally impacting communities of color and immigrant communities.”

Population counts from the 2020 census will be used to determine how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets for the next decade. The data will also be used to help distribute nearly $900 billion in federal funding for such things as schools, roads and other public services.

Some immigrants and minorities are hesitant to complete the process because they feel answering the questions could lead to queries about their immigration status and a distrust of government.

In 2019, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from including a question about immigration status on the Census.

If those communities do not participate it could lead to an  undercount, which could be devastating to the city.

In 2010 Census data was used to distribute more than $400 million to support local schools, transportation, housing, and healthcare programs.

The group is requesting the Census Bureau, host a Member-level telebriefing within the next week on the status of 2020 Census operations for members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus and Congressional Native American Caucus similar to the one that Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform received on Friday April 24.

Other requests include:

• Separate member-level meetings between the Census Bureau Director and each of the aforementioned caucuses.
• Monthly member-level meetings between the Census Bureau Director and each caucus as we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and as Congress evaluates providing statutory relief to the Bureau;
• A staff telebriefing within the next week on the status of the 2020 Census that is open to all congressional staff.
• Bi-weekly telebriefings to keep all congressional staff routinely informed on changes to census operations, including changes to the field program and communications program, as we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and as Congress evaluates providing statutory relief to the Bureau.
• Written responses to the questions and concerns outlined in letters from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus that were previously sent on April 14th and April 3rd respectively.

“These trends are concerning because the results of the 2020 Census have never been more important,” the letter reads. “Available data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has created both a public health and economic crisis that is disproportionately impacting communities of color. Well-informed political, policy, and business decisions will be critical to helping communities of color recover from the lingering impact of the crisis and ensuring that our communities have the resources they need to build up resiliency against future pandemics. An undercount in the 2020 Census could set our communities back for the decade to come.”