Chaka Fattah: “Let me close by just saying that I just want to make sure that, because there is some antipathy about, sometimes…”

“Let me close by just saying that I just want to make sure that, because there is some antipathy about, sometimes, anything that may emanate from this administration, I just want to make it clear that this was not some Democratic scheme here to gather up people's private information; that this is actually a legitimate activity of the Federal Government. It is one joined in by the Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations who tell us that this is vitally important. I think just from a commonsense basis, we actually know as politicians, because when we are engaged in activities that are important, we try to get a lot of information. So we know it is important. It is actually important for making sure that Federal programs are focused on the priorities of your community. And if we don't have the knowledge of how many people need daycare slots or how many veterans there are or what the other circumstances are in a particular community, it is impossible to do the planning that is necessary. I would ask that we reject this amendment and that we continue to use data as a basis to make informed decisions here at the national level. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment Offered by Mr. Foster”