Section 605 Talking Points

View a PDF of Talking Points here.

What If The Census Bureau Stops Counting After Fewer Than A Third Of All Households Respond?

Sec. 605 of the House FY 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill states: “None of the funds in this Act may be used to enforce involuntary compliance, or to inquire more than twice for voluntary compliance with any survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census.” Section 605 is a misguided idea, with alarming consequences, which our democracy and economy cannot afford.

The House should strike it from the CJS appropriations bill. Section 605 is an unvetted, untested, and extreme provision that would change the way the U.S. Census Bureau conducts virtually every census, demographic survey, and economic survey. It would force the Census Bureau to stop contacting households and businesses after two attempts to secure a response in every census and survey, no matter how low the response rate.