Congress: Fund and Protect the 2026 US Census Test

Today I’m writing to urge you to support full funding and people resources for the 2026 Census Test. It’s crucial for ensuring an accurate and cost-effective 2030 Census. As you probably know, without proper testing, the Census Bureau risks repeating the mistakes of the 2020 Census, which resulted in significant undercounts of rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and historically undercounted racial and ethnic minority groups. Thus, this administration has now made the census a civil rights problem for themselves if Congress fails to act. Owing to the federal hiring freeze and uncertain funding, the Census Bureau may be forced to curtail or cancel this essential test, jeopardizing the entire decennial census operation. Congress must intervene now to protect the 2026 Census Test. -First, the administration should immediately lift the hiring freeze for positions necessary to plan and implement the test. -Second, adequate funding must be allocated for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025 to conduct the full national sample and all six planned field sites. Comprehensive testing across diverse geographic areas and communities is vital for researching and refining modern counting methods that can improve accuracy and contain costs. The consequences of canceling or scaling back the 2026 Census Test are clear from the challenges faced during the 2020 Census. Insufficient funding forced the cancellation of tests in rural areas and on American Indigenous Peoples reservations, leading to costly operational issues and undercounts. Investing in the 2026 Test now will pay dividends by identifying and resolving potential problems before the 2030 Census, ultimately saving money and ensuring a fair and accurate count of all communities. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.