Costa Joins Sánchez, Gallego pen letter to Census Bureau urging action following 2020 Census results

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA) and Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, led 43 of their colleagues in sending a letter to the Commerce Department and the U.S. Census Bureau expressing concern about the undercount of Latino, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations in the 2020 Census.

The letter states that without corrective action, the undercounts reflected in the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) and lack of disaggregated data for Asian populations could grow existing ethnic and socio-economic inequities in areas such as employment, education, housing, and health care.

"We rely on the Census to not only provide an accurate picture of America, but also to allocate federal funding and give every citizen an equal voice in their elections," said Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez. "With Latinos being the second-largest population group in our country, this undercount could have severe consequences for the prosperity of our community and our nation as a whole. I urge the Census Bureau to take action to mitigate the impacts of the 2020 Census undercounts and ensure communities of color receive their fair share of funding and resources."

"The previous administration was determined to sabotage the 2020 census, and because of that we saw unprecedented undercounts of Latino, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations," said Congressman Ruben Gallego. "These undercounts not only affected Americans' representation in Congress, but they could rob communities of color of federal resources if we don't act. In Arizona, historically marginalized communities in my district are at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal appropriations, and that's why we're asking the Census Bureau to take steps to make sure these communities receive the resources and funding they need and deserve."

"At NALEO Educational Fund, we have always emphasized the importance of accurate census data given their effect on essential state and local services," said NALEO Educational Fund CEO Arturo Vargas. "With the unsettling results of the PES, we urge the Census Bureau to take immediate action to ameliorate the 2020 undercount of Latinos and other communities and work to prevent future undercounts. We also applaud the efforts of U.S. Representatives Linda Sanchez and Ruben Gallego for their leadership on this critical issue and thank the other members of Congress who have stood by us, voicing similar concerns."

In addition to Reps. Sánchez and Gallego, the letter was also signed by Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-CA); Nanette Barragán (D-CA); Salud Carbajal (D-CA); Tony Cárdenas (D-CA); André Carson (D-IN); Kathy Castor (D-FL); Joaquin Castro (D-TX); Jim Costa (D-CA); Sharice Davids (D-KS); Debbie Dingell (D-MI); Veronica Escobar (D-TX); Adriano Espaillat (D-NY); Jesús García (D-IL); Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX); Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ); Steven Horsford (D-NV); Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ); Andy Levin (D-MI); Alan Lowenthal (D-CA); Grace Meng (D-NY); Seth Moulton (D-MA); Jerrold Nadler (D-NY); Grace Napolitano (D-CA); Marie Newman (D-IL); Eleanor Norton (D-DC); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ); Katie Porter (D-CA); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA); Raul Ruiz (D-CA); Bobby Rush (D-IL); Gregorio Sablan (D-MP); Janice Schakowsky (D-IL); Albio Sires (D-NJ); Darren Soto (D-FL); Greg Stanton (D-AZ); Dina Titus (D-NV); Rashida Tlaib (D-MI); Ritchie Torres (D-NY); Juan Vargas (D-CA); Marc Veasey (D-TX); Nydia Velázquez (D-NY); and Nikema Williams (D-GA).

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below. 

April 5, 2022

The Honorable Gina Raimondo

Secretary

U.S. Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20230

The Honorable Robert Santos

Director

U.S. Census Bureau

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20230

Dear Secretary Raimondo and Director Santos:

We are writing to share our concerns regarding the disturbing results of the 2020 Census Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which revealed a massive net national undercount of our nation's Latino population, Black population, and American Indian and Alaska Native population living on reservations (AI/AN) in the 2020 Census. According to the PES, the net undercount for Latinos was 4.99 percent, more than a threefold increase from Census 2010. The undercount was 5.64 and 3.30 percent among AI/ANs and Black Americans, respectively. While the PES did not show an undercount of Asian Americans, we are concerned about the lack of disaggregated data for this population. Given the historic undercount of these communities, we urge you to take immediate steps to develop plans to mitigate the impacts of the 2020 Census count and provide regular briefings to our offices on the Bureau's progress on this front.

We recognize that the Census Bureau faced unprecedented challenges in conducting the 2020 Census, including insufficient funding for several initially-planned activities to prepare for and carry out the enumeration; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all of 2020 Census operations; and several natural disasters that occurred during those operations. In addition, we understand the detrimental effects that the previous Administration's attempt to politicize the census likely had on the enumeration, including efforts to add an untested and unfair question about citizenship, and the unwarranted pressure to rush operations and the schedule for releasing apportionment and redistricting data. We commend the work of career Census Bureau staff to address these challenges and safeguard the quality and integrity of census data, as well as the tireless efforts of all staff who had to nimbly adapt the Bureau's operations in an unpredictable and ever-changing public health environment.

However, the net undercount revealed by the PES is alarming, and the severely detrimental consequences could extend throughout this entire decade. With Latinos being the country's second-largest population group, the Census 2020 undercount could severely impair the future well-being and prosperity of the Latino community especially, and our nation as a whole. Unless corrective action is taken, the net undercount has the potential to significantly distort the allocation of more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding annually to states and localities. This misallocation would have a devastating impact on thousands of underserved communities across our nation, preventing resources from going to the programs and areas which need them the most.

In addition, the net undercount of Latino, Black, and AI/AN communities could dramatically erode the ability of government agencies to monitor and enforce civil rights protections and skew the data that are used for countless decisions in the public and private sector. As a result, our nation could see existing ethnic and socio-economic inequities in areas such as employment, education, housing, and health care grow far worse.

With so much at stake, we respectfully request the Bureau develop plans for and brief our offices on the following:

• Plans for assessing the impact of the undercount on the full range of activities for which Census data are used, including federal funding formulas, civil rights enforcement, and other public and private sector use of Census data. In this context, we note that the Bureau has suggested that Census 2020 data may not be "acceptable" for certain uses. We request that the Bureau clarify which uses, if any, for which Census 2020 data are not acceptable.

• Efforts to examine and implement approaches to mitigate the impact of the undercount of Latino, Black, and AI/AN populations on the programs and activities for which Census data are used. This should include information about the Bureau's plans regarding the development of Population Estimates, and other data that affect federal funding formulas. We also understand that the Bureau has started discussions with federal agencies about federal funding formulas. Please provide us with information about the status of and future plans for these discussions, as well as how the amelioration of the undercount will be incorporated into the discussions.

• Plans to release state- and county-level information on undercounts of Latino, Black, Asian, and AI/AN populations, as well as national origin data for Asian Americans at all levels. This type of disaggregated data is essential to gaining a complete picture of the accuracy of the 2020 Census. We encourage the Bureau to brief Congress on the feasibility of releasing statistically sound undercount estimates for the greatest possible number of subgroups and sub-national geographic units.

• Any outreach to states and localities about the availability of existing and planned programs which permit states and localities to request a review that may result in the correction of Census 2020 counts. We urge the Bureau to provide technical assistance and other guidance for states, localities, Tribes, and the stakeholders that work with them to enhance participation in the review and challenge programs. We also request information about any Bureau plans to assess the criteria which, if met, would result in a revised Population Estimate, to assess the feasibility of expanding these criteria, and to provide greater flexibility in the submission of challenge and review requests for all the foregoing programs.

• Details of any further research, evaluation, and assessments to understand the specific factors which contributed to the undercount. This should include any new assessments the Bureau will undertake given the magnitude of the Latino undercount. We also wish to learn about any plans the Bureau has to use the findings of the foregoing research and evaluation to develop recommendations for changes in its operational plans for the American Community Survey, Census 2030 and other census data collection programs and surveys.

• Information about any Bureau plans to evaluate approaches to modernizing the census, and how it will ensure that it assesses the impact of such plans on achieving a fair and accurate count of historically undercounted communities. We believe the results of the PES, together with evolving social, public health, technological and statistical analysis trends indicate that the Bureau should consider making fundamental changes to its traditional methods of enumerating the nation's population. This is particularly important for the Asian population, a growing community in the U.S. We encourage the Bureau to work with community partners to ensure future counts accurately portray our country's diverse communities.

Ultimately, we believe the Bureau shares our vision of a decennial Census which obtains a fair and accurate count of all our country's residents. The undercount of the Latino, Black, and AI/AN population, as well as lack of disaggregated data for the Asian population, reveals that Census 2020 fell far short of this goal. We look forward to hearing from you regarding the requests set forth in this letter and stand ready to work with you to find solutions to the many challenges created by the 2020 undercount.