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Department Secretary Wilbur Ross requested an additional $3.3 billion in funding through 2020, including a $187 million increase for scal 2018.
Multiple sources close to the bureau told FCW that the funding di erence would come from other Commerce ac- counts. The department did not respond to requests for con rmation.
If the bureau does not receive at least the $187 million requested for scal 2018, “that would be catastrophic for the bureau,” said Arturo Vargas, execu- tive director of the National Associa- tion of Latino Elected and Appointed O cials Education Fund.
The Senate Appropriations Commit- tee is reviewing the request, according to a spokesperson. But the budget stand- o that led to a brief government shut- down in January and, as this issue went to press, left agencies without funding after Feb. 8 means that additional funding for the 2020 count is in limbo. Although legislators from both parties say an extended shutdown is unlikely, so too is a quick and comprehensive budget deal. Census experts are concerned that further delays and continuing resolu- tions could jeopardize the bureau’s abil- ity to hit important deadlines.
“The side e ect, especially in the lat- ter years of the decade for the census, is devastating,” Sparks said. “It really disrupts funding and planning.”
One high-pro le example of such dis- ruption is the bureau’s decision to pare down its 2018 dress rehearsal for the 2020 count from three sites to just one: Providence, R.I.
“If the CR stretches much longer, the Providence site might also be jeopardy,” Sparks said. “Every week o the sched- ule makes a di erence now.”
The bureau was granted what’s called an anomaly under the continuing resolu-
Former Census Director John Thompson said that with less than two years to go be- fore 2020 rolls around, “there’s not much time left. If they want an accurate census, they’re going to have to start paying for it.”
tion, which allows for increased spending velocity of the $800 million the White House proposed for the bureau’s decen- nial programs in scal 2018.
Sparks said that although Census o cials can increase spending speed in the short term, “the anomaly Congress has given them basically ties their hands behind their back [because they are re- stricted to an amount] that’s way below what they need.”
Former Census Director John Thomp- son said that with less than two years to go before 2020 rolls around, “there’s not much time left. If they want an accurate census, they’re going to have to start paying for it.”
Sparks added that if the Trump administration’s upcoming scal 2019 budget does not include multibillion- dollar funding for the bureau, “you can basically declare this census will be in danger of failing.”
The Census Bureau declined to com- ment to FCW on the state of its funding.
Where is the cost-saving tech?
The request for an extra $3.3 billion undercuts the bureau’s projection of the savings it would achieve by using high- tech methodologies, many of which have not yet been fully developed and tested.
Of the 40-odd systems Census plans to deploy in 2020, several critical ones — including mapping software, call
assistance for respondents, internet self- response and data processing systems — have delivery deadlines in advance of the 2018 test’s commencement of peak operations, which will begin in March.
“If the Census Bureau hits any signi - cant technological bumps in the road during the dress rehearsal, that will be very worrisome,” said Terri Ann Lowen- thal, who has provided census oversight as a congressional aide, presidential transition team member and private consultant on decennial headcounts dat- ing back to 1990.
For indispensable technology features such as internet-based self-response, Census “better start [them] on that day,” Thompson said. “If it doesn’t, it means there are some pretty serious problems with their automation.”
In October, GAO reported that
only four of the bureau’s systems had completed development and testing, and zero had authorization to operate through the 2018 test. Census has dis- puted those numbers as too low.
Dave Powner, GAO’s director of IT management issues, said that if the bu- reau misses delivering those IT systems in time to test in a census-like environ- ment in 2018, it would have to conduct testing after the dress rehearsal to make sure the systems can go live in 2020.
Late system delivery and testing do not mean the bureau can’t get the work done in time for the decennial head-
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