Congress Adjourns Leaving Fiscal Year 2024 Funding for Census in Limbo

On July 28, the U.S. Congress adjourned for its traditional August district work period without completing action on the 12 Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills, including the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill, which funds the Census Bureau. The U.S. Senate is expected to return on September 5, while the U.S. House of Representatives is not back until September 12. When Congress returns, it will only have 11 legislative days to pass all FY 2024 appropriations bills and send them to President Biden for his approval before FY 2023 ends on September 30.

Early in July, members of the House Freedom Caucus informed Speaker of the House McCarthy that they will oppose FY 2024 appropriations bills that do not significantly cut Federal spending. The turmoil in the House decreases the likelihood that FY 2024 appropriations bills will pass before the end of September. As a result, Congress and President Biden will likely need to enact a continuing resolution to keep the government open once the new fiscal year begins on October 1.

Over the next month, census stakeholders will be communicating the consequences of flat or decreased funding for the Census Bureau in FY 2024 and the importance of ensuring that the Bureau receives the highest possible level of funding.

Below is a recap of the progress that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have made thus far on their respective versions of the FY 2024 CJS funding bill.

House

On July 14, the House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee considered or “marked up” its version of the Fiscal Year 2024 CJS bill. The bill provides $1.354 billion for the Census Bureau ($300 million for Current Surveys account and $1.054 billion for Periodic Census Account). This funding level is $131 million below the agency’s FY 2023 level, essentially funding the Bureau at its FY 2022 level.  

The bill also contains a provision that would require the Census Bureau to exclude undocumented immigrants from the state population totals used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after each future decennial census. When the House Appropriations Committee considers the bill in September, Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-6), a member of the CJS subcommittee, plans to offer an amendment to strike this provision.

After the House Appropriations Committee votes on the CJS bill, a report will be released clarifying the Committee’s other interests and priorities regarding the Census Bureau.

Senate

In an effort to expedite consideration of its version of its FY 2024 CJS bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee bypassed the CJS subcommittee and brought the bill to the full committee for consideration on July 13.  The bill passed the full committee by a vote of 28-1.

As expected, the Senate recommended a higher level of funding for the Census Bureau than the House. Specifically, the Committee provided $1.501 billion for the Census Bureau ($346 million for the Current Surveys and Programs account and $1.155 for the Periodic Census account). Their funding recommendation is $147 million above the House and $16 million above the agency’s FY 2023 funding level. The bill falls $105.004 million short of the amount that the White House had requested for the Census Bureau in the President’s proposed FY 2024 budget request.

A report accompanying the bill included language about programs under each of the Bureau’s accounts.

CURRENT SURVEYS AND PROGRAMS

• High Frequency Data Program—The Committee provides no less than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level for the High Frequency Data Program.
  
• Population Estimate Challenge Program—Within the increase provided, the Committee provides $6,200,000 to support the Population Estimates program and to improve the annual estimates upon which communities across the country rely.
  
• Puerto Rico Economic Program—Within the increase provided, the Committee provides up to $10,800,000 to establish a new data program for Puerto Rico, including an annual Puerto Rico Economic Survey and a monthly or quarterly economic indicator collection for Puerto Rico. Such data products already exist for States, and this initiative will close longstanding gaps in the economic data available for Puerto Rico.

PERIODIC CENSUSES AND PROGRAMS

• Utilizing Libraries and Community Partners for Census Surveys—The Committee encourages the Census Bureau to continue its partnership with public libraries and other community technology centers to maximize the response to the American Community Survey [ACS] and other surveys and assessments as appropriate. The Bureau is encouraged to work with libraries and library organizations, in coordination with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, regarding training for library staff and webinars or conference presentations to library audiences about Census surveys and assessments.
  
• American Community Survey—The Committee supports the ACS and directs the Bureau to continue using the ACS as a testbed for innovative survey and data processing techniques that can be used across the Bureau. The Committee notes that the ACS is often the primary or only source of data available to State, local, and Federal agencies that need adequate information on a wide range of topics. These data are especially important to small towns and rural areas across the country, and the Bureau should ensure that rural areas are covered with the same accuracy as urban areas to the maximum extent practicable. To the greatest extent practicable, the ACS should reduce the number of questions included in the survey and ensure steps are being taken to conduct the ACS as efficiently and unobtrusively as possible.

At this time, it is not clear when the House or Senate CJS bills will be debated on the floor of either chamber. Scheduling information will likely be announced in early September when Congress reconvenes.