Skip to main content

Meng Statement on Census Bureau's Reduced Door-Knocking Operation

July 31, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) issued the following statement after NPR reported early this morning that the U.S. Census Bureau is cutting short its door-knocking operations for unresponsive households to the 2020 Decennial Census

"Historic undercount. I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again and again: there are no do-overs with the Census; a mistake is a 10-year mistake. We risk a historic undercount with the Census Bureau's decision to reduce its timeframe to reach ALL people in the country," said Meng. "Additional time and flexibility is needed so the Bureau can ensure an accurate count while keeping its staff safe from COVID-19. But, let's be clear about why this is happening; this decision didn't come out of thin air. The White House is engaged in a strategy to erase the voices of immigrants, communities of color, and undocumented immigrants. By excluding those communities, it enhances its narrow view of who belongs—and who does not—in America. If we go down this path, we're running toward a cliff that if we fall off of will have damaging consequences for a decade or more."

According to the NPR article, Census follow-up operations will end on September 30—not October 31 as planned.

# # #