FY25 Census Bureau Funding Sign-on Letter

View a PDF of the letter here.

April 10, 2024

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chair
Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee
Senate Appropriations Committee
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Jerry Moran, Ranking Member
Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee
Senate Appropriations Committee
Washington, DC 20510

Rep. Hal Rogers, Chairman
Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee
House Appropriations Committee
Washington, DC 20515

Rep. Matt Cartwright, Ranking Member
Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee
House Appropriations Committee
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair Shaheen, Ranking Member Moran, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Cartwright,

On behalf of The Census Project, a broad-based coalition of business, civic, human services, state and local government, education, and scientific organizations committed to supporting the U.S. Census Bureau’s mission to produce full, fair, complete, and accurate data, we are writing to express our support for funding the U.S.
Census Bureau in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Specifically, we urge Congress to provide the U.S. Census Bureau with $2 billion in FY 2025 and to oppose any proposals that would use the agency as an offset to fund other programs in the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill.

FY 2025 is a pivotal year in the ramp up to the 2030 Census. It marks the midpoint in the decade-long planning process for the next constitutionally-mandated decennial census—the nation’s largest peacetime civilian initiative. In FY 2025, the Bureau will complete its first major 2030 Census milestone: selecting an operational design. The operational design will affect every facet of the 2030 Census, including the 2026 Census Test in which the Bureau will assess innovative systems and methods designed uniquely to ensure an inclusive, cost effective, and accurate 2030 count. Investing in decennial census preparations now will reduce the risk of requiring unplanned, additional funding in the peak years at the end of the decade. As we learned in the run
up to the 2020 count, postponing planning for decennial operations introduces greater risk to a successful outcome.

As the premier Federal statistical agency, the Census Bureau is responsible for conducting a wide range of activities beyond managing decennial census operations. In its proposed FY 2025 budget, the agency details numerous priorities and activities, including plans to restore and enhance the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP); sustain improvements to the Population Estimates program; initiate a new Puerto Rico Economic Survey; and continue implementation of the Data Ingest and Collection for the Enterprise (DICE) program, a more-advanced data collection platform.

While we, as census stakeholders, are generally pleased the President’s FY 2025 request to Congress reflects a slight increase over the Bureau’s FY 2024 enacted level and would maintain modernization efforts supported by census stakeholders, we are concerned that the Administration’s proposal falls short of the more robust investments The Census Project recommended for FY 2025 to deliver complete and accurate data for the nation. Specifically, we are concerned that the Administration’s budget falls short of necessary investments needed to support 2030 Census planning and to stabilize and enhance the American Community Survey (ACS)—the official, trusted, and public source of continuous, updated demographic, socioeconomic, and housing data used by public, private and non-profit sectors in every community across the country.

To empower the Census Bureau to embark on activities outlined in their FY 2025 budget, as well as others identified by census stakeholders, including improvements to the ACS, we urge Congress to provide the agency with $2 billion in FY 2025. Further, we strongly urge you to reject any proposals that would use the Census Bureau as a funding offset. The Bureau should not be perceived as an acceptable “piggyback” to support other programs funded by the CJS bill.

Thank you for considering our views as you craft the FY 2025 CJS appropriations bill.

Sincerely,

National Organizations
Academic Pediatric Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Anthropological Association
American Civil Liberties Union
American Educational Research Association
American Pediatric Society
American Sociological Association
American Statistical Association
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
Association of Population Centers
Association of Public Data Users
CensusChannel LLC
Children’s HealthWatch
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Coalition on Human Needs
Common Cause
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics
Decision Demographics, LLC
Demographic Analytics Advisors
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Erase The Divide LLC
First Focus Campaign for Children
Generations United
Gerontological Society of America
Government Information Watch
ICSC
Insights Association
League of Women Voters of the United States
NALEO Educational Fund
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for Business Economics (NABE)
National Association of Home Builders
National Association of Towns and Townships
National Coalition for Literacy
National Community Action Partnership
National Community Development Association
National Disability Institute
National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network
National NeighborWorks Association
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Nielsen
Partnership for America’s Children
Pediatric Policy Council
People Power United
Population Association of America
Prison Policy Initiative
Project On Government Oversight
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
Save the Children
Society for Pediatric Research
The Consortium of Social Science Associations
The Educare Network
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
United Church of Christ
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
Voices for Progress
Whitman-Walker Institute
ZERO TO THREE

State-Level Organizations
CHILDREN AT RISK – TX
Children’s Institute – OR
Colorado Children’s Campaign – CO
Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable – CO
Common Good Iowa – IA
Council of Michigan Foundations – MI
CT Early Childhood Alliance – CT
Delaware Community Foundation – DE
Early Milestones Colorado – CO
Forefront (IL) – IL
Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda – GA
GRACE/End Child Poverty California – CA
Housing Action Illinois – IL
Hunger Free Vermont – VT
Indivisible Hawaii – HI
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas – MN
Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children (LAAEYC) – LA
MACS 2030 – Minnesotans for the American Community Survey and 2030 Census – MN
Michigan Nonprofit Association – MI
Minnesota Budget Project – MN
Minnesota Council on Foundations – MN
NC Counts Coalition – NC
New Jersey Tenants Organization – NJ
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits – OK
Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy – OK
Our Children Oregon – OR
Parent Possible – CO
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children – PA
Public Justice Center – MD
SC Counts – SC
South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center – SC
South Carolina Program for Infant/Toddler Care – SC
The Alaska Census Working Group/The Foraker Group – AK
The Bingham Program – ME
The Children’s Agenda – NY
VOICES for Alabama’s Children – AL
Wyoming Community Foundation – WY

Local/City/Regional Organizations
Activists With A Purpose Plus – Grenada, MS
Apalachee Regional Planning Council – Tallahassee, FL
Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud – San Juan, PR
Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County – Clearwater, FL
Long Beach Gray Panthers – Long Beach, CA
Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. – Maui County, HI
MICAH- Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing – St. Paul, MN
Minneapolis Foundation – Minneapolis, MN
Na’ah Illahee Fund – Seattle, WA
NEK-CAP, Inc. – Hiawatha, KS
OMID Multicultural Institute for Development – Irvine, CA
Paraquad – St. Louis, MO
San Diego for Every Child – San Diego, CA
Southern Echo Inc. – Jackson, MS
Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc. – Jewett City, CT
The Data Center of Southeast Louisiana – New Orleans, LA
The Healing Trust – Nashville, TN
West Central Initiative – Fergus Falls, MN