Alan B. Mollohan: “The opponents of a fair and accurate census have implied that both the Inspector General and the GAO have said that the…”

“The opponents of a fair and accurate census have implied that both the Inspector General and the GAO have said that the 2000 Census is headed toward failure because of the use of statistical methods. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Inspector General said in testimony before Congress: I have fully supported and have been recommending sampling for some time. In fact, the Bureau needs to increase the amount of sampling over that presently planned. Nye Stevens, who directs this issue at the GAO, also testified before a Republican controlled Congress and said: We are particularly encouraged by the decision to adopt sampling among the nonresponse population. We have long advocated this step. Both the GAO and the Commerce I.G. have endorsed the use of statistical methods in the census and have criticized the Census Bureau for not using them more. The risk of a failed census is increased by those who want to cut off funding for the census in midyear. Earlier this year the GAO said the longer this disagreement between Congress and the administration continues, the greater the risk of a failed 2000 Census. The American people deserve an accurate count.”