Robert Groves, Census Director, Hammers House For Cutting Major U.S. Survey

WASHINGTON -- The head of the U.S. Census Bureau hammered the House of Representatives on Friday for passing a bill that he said "devastates" the nation's ability to measure its economy and understand its people.

The House slashed the bureau's budget in the appropriations bill for commerce, justice and science programs, which it passed Thursday, and specifically barred the agency from conducting the American Community Survey, some form of which has been done since 1790.

Census officials, who usually stay very nonpartisan, had been relatively restrained in pointing out the damage likely to stem from proposed cuts that were deeper than those already suggested, noting simply that the quality of the nation's economic data would suffer.

But after the House passed its bill cutting more funds and eliminating the long-form community survey entirely, a Capitol Hill staffer told The Huffington Post, Census head Robert Groves decided to take the gloves off, with administration approval.

"This bill ... devastates the nation's statistical information about the status of the economy and the larger society," Groves said in a new video released on the agency's website (see above). "Modern societies need current detailed social and economic statistics. The U.S. is losing them."

Officials had already been concerned that, due to the overall budget cuts, the Economic Census would not be able to provide the accurate data relied upon by businesses to make all manner of decisions. That survey measures some 25 million businesses and 1,100 industries in the United States.

The American Community Survey gathers detailed information on the population of the country and is a critical tool for researchers. It also is used extensively by business and government to make financial and policy decisions. For instance, a 2010 analysis of Census data found that information from the American Community Survey was used to steer more than $825 million in federal money to the three largest counties in the Florida district of Republican Rep. Daniel Webster, who sponsored the amendment to kill the survey.

Indeed, data from the American Community Survey are nearly ubiquitous. Most of the House members who voted to end the survey have links to it on their official websites so that constituents can learn more about their communities. Webster's own site links to the information (see screen shot).

Webster's office did not comment directly on Groves' statement, but referred to Webster's remarks on the House floor remarks on his amendment.

But Republicans argued that the survey was unconstitutional and too intrusive because it asks such questions as how many flush toilets people have in their homes and whether they are married. A recent study by the Brookings Institution's Andrew Reamer found that seven of those questions -- including the one on marriage -- have been on the survey since 1850.

The survey for next year had been slated to cost $242 million, a decrease of more than $10 million from this year.

Update: Monday, 12 noon
This story was updated to include Rep. Webster's response and fix a link to the 2010 analysis.

Michael McAuliff covers politics and Congress for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.

Comments

[memaw7824]

12:20 PM on 05/14/2012

And what about the states that complain because the 10 year Decennial is inadequate to keep up with their changes???

[ennis438]

04:08 AM on 05/14/2012

Republipunkers are doing the job that AlQuida has been unable to do (thanks to Obama's efforts to undo Bushrag's disaster and actually kill some operatives instead of sending people into the wrong country to search) , and are doing a great job of terrorism againsyt American people. I am sure Bin Laden would be proud.

[Utopian Sky]

04:27 PM on 05/13/2012

So, Republicans think a survey is unconstitutional and intrusive because it asks if people are married, but Republicans have no problem with an intrusive and unconstitutional government that prevents people from getting married.

It's too intrusive to ask someone how many flushing toilets they have, but just fine for the government to force women to have a vaginally invasive form of ultrasound to get an abortion.

In Republican land, asking questions is rude.
Forcing people to do things against their will is just fine.
Denying them their rights is perfectly acceptable.
Just don't ask questions, and everything is OK.

[wa0cal]

09:54 AM on 05/13/2012

Could it be that the D.C. bunch are afraid we will find out how many illegals are in this country

[annie mac]

01:28 AM on 05/13/2012

Yet again, this bill shows that the Republicans are not interested in actually achieving anything - other than sending a vote-earning message.

In this case, the message is that they are:

(a) saving money
(b) saving people from "big government"

But as ever, there's much left unsaid. Namely, "that your community will suffer because there's no data available to determine what it needs".

[tarheel08]

04:19 PM on 05/12/2012

I am surprised the US Chamber of Commerce let this pass. Even people like the Koch brothers benefit from such data when they look where to place their businesses. Any idea why the TP is trying to limit this type of data collection?

[chris hatala]

03:09 PM on 05/12/2012

They will soon start building the castles as we revert to our serf status. These tpubs are destroyers of all they they touch.

[RUKidding0]

01:35 PM on 05/12/2012

A social democratic state may feel the “need” for current detailed social and economic statistics in order to continue the pretense that they actually have a right to attempt to socially engineer society to collectivist government’s liking, but no free nation has any such requirement, because a free society engineers government to its liking, not the other way around.

This is just one miniscule area in which power will be stripped from government in the Tea Party Revolution and returned to individual Americans as the social democratic state is systematically dismantled and freedom restored to all Americans.

[annie mac]

12:25 AM on 05/13/2012

In reality, it's just one more area in which the TP is doing its upmost to send America into the Dark Ages, and make it yet more of a laughing stock among modern democracies.

The fact is, for all your gung-ho anti-government rhetoric, you DO live in a free and democratic society, democracies DO require government, and governments DO require information in order to perform what they are REQUIRED to perform - by their citizens. This includes the provision of adequate school, police and other emergency services, hospitals, highways and other infrastructure, transportation systems, sanitation and many, many other things which you take for granted.

If you consider that it is better that the government - at federal, state or county level - is not able to do this effectively, thanks to lack of information, then the kind of America you envisage is not, in fact, the kind of America that you would like to live in.

[RUKidding0]

10:29 AM on 05/13/2012

First, I have zero regard for the opinion of "other nations", because any such statement presumes collective thought, while I know enough Europeans to clearly see that they own diverse and conflicting views. Indeed, for you to even make such a statement demonstrates the fact that you cannot escape the collectivist impulse that impels you to accept the collectivist tyranny of a social democratic state.

Second, virtually ALL of the "infrastructure" requirements of a "modern state" are public goods, provision of which NO ONE objects - not even the most die hard Libertarians.

Third, provision of public goods (it is an economics term - look it up) requires NONE of the information required under FORCE of law in the census.

Ironically, the Dark Ages to which you fear returning is more characteristc of our growing indentured servitude to the social democratic state than to any version of freedom.

Clearly, you are not only a captive of collectivist thought, you seem entirely unable to find original thoughts of your own. You have my condolences.

Perhaps, in a free society, your mind can expand to original thought.

[Ohbeewun]

12:15 PM on 05/12/2012

Who needs a good census of serfs anyways? Since the Republiclowns are destroying the middle class and boldly leading us back to feudalism all that matters is that we do what we're told. Who we are or how we're doing is of no interest to the 1%...I mean, our overlords.

[jimtodd]

11:37 AM on 05/12/2012

Reliable information is the deadly foe of the GOP/TP. They must do everything necessary to keep the American people ignorant or their wholesale looting of the nation might be slowed down.

[NotLikeYouAtAll]

11:34 AM on 05/12/2012

Republicans greatest dream is to be able to lie and not have some educated person tell the truth supported by data that has been collected for more than 200 years.

They are going to see themselves in the political 'wilderness' for a long time with this kind of behavior.

[alice sophia]

10:39 AM on 05/12/2012

Now why would the GOP suddenly want to start doing away with the census? Future elections, you think? GOP: always on the wrong side of history on anything and everthing---just ask alexithemic Mitt about that.

[olitenup]

10:37 AM on 05/12/2012

They do not want anyone as wealthy as those who are currently in control, lest they no longer can remain in control. Stopping information flow, spying on us and not education us is a good way to stop us from ever achieving what they have.

They do not want us to succeed, which is why there is no resolution the lack of jobs here and they keep defunding everything but what keeps them in power.

[NotLikeYouAtAll]

11:36 AM on 05/12/2012

It is so completely OBVIOUS. What are people thinking?

[EastPeru]

10:32 AM on 05/12/2012

The ExxonMobil ad that played before the video, which rates United States 17th in math and science education, brings up a point: Why won't the oil and gas industry lobby Congress to stop their subsidies and request the same level of funding be directed to teachers salaries and the support of public education?

Answer: Congress gets too much money kicked-back to them from the oil and gas industry.

The industry can fix this issue if it wants to. It will not be resolved otherwise.

[Foxrocks]

10:37 AM on 05/12/2012

The renewable industry could do the same thing as could the mining and agricultural industries. Why the focus on oil and gas only? Oh yeah, because people have to buy gasoline and heat their homes so it makes for an easy political bogey man.

[EastPeru]

11:51 AM on 05/12/2012

No - I focused on the oil and gas industry because I was referring to the ExxonModil ad - you can read my post.

I agree with you that what I stated is applicable to mining, agriculture, etc. I don't agree with including renewables only because that industry is still too dependent on substities as many new industries are. Example: Boeing required huge state government substities when it built it's new plant in South Carolina and Boeing is a well-to-do corporation.

Not every issue has to be contentious. Not everything can be divided into Left and Right.

Do you agree that politicians financially benefit from the oil and gas industry (and include other industries if you need)? And if you agree, do you think that is the underlying reason Congress continues to give them tax breaks; which they themselves stated under oath to Congress that they did not need?

[goforitlisa]

10:25 AM on 05/12/2012

Republicans gain more power by restricting services and information/education to others. Their other favorite tactic is to make a bogey man for people to fear so they can say they have the magic answer to protect you. Republicans do not know what "constitutional" is to even say something is unconstitutional. They talk of this being too intrusive but yet they perpetuate the Patriot Act and tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies.

[Foxrocks]

10:28 AM on 05/12/2012

Because I've noticed the patriot act went away under Democrat control of government.