China News Service, April 14 (Xinhua) reported that US President Trump said on the 13th that he will request a postponement of the 2020 census to ensure that this work can be completed safely and accurately. Trump said the Census Bureau will ask Congress to extend the 120-day deadline.
Data graph: US President Trump. China News Agency reporter Chen Meng Tongshe
"During this difficult period, we also have to work hard to ensure that the 2020 census is completed safely and accurately. We may ask for an extension because obviously they cannot do much now. They are not even allowed to do so. Therefore, We will ask for a delay in the census, which will be a substantial delay. "Trump said.
According to reports, the latest revision of the census data collection schedule means that officials need more time to compile data, which will determine the distribution of the number of members of Congress in each state and the division selected by Congress. Federal law requires some of these data to be aggregated by the end of 2020.
Trump said the Census Bureau will ask Congress to extend the 120-day period. He said: "In addition, while millions of Americans continue to complete the questionnaire online, the Census Bureau asked Congress to extend 120 days." "I think 120 days is not enough."
Caroline Maloney, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in a statement that Commerce Minister Wilbur Ross announced the plan on a conference call with lawmakers. The Ministry of Commerce acknowledged the change in the timetable and stated in a statement that it is seeking statutory grace from Congress with a view to providing an additional 120 days to submit the final assessment figures.
The department said it was working on a plan to reopen hundreds of offices outside its headquarters nationwide on June 1, and began deploying tens of thousands of investigators nationwide shortly thereafter. One of the important tasks of these census enumerators is to visit houses from house to house that did not respond to the census.
Maloney said the conference call was arranged "in a hurry" and complained that the census bureau chief did not attend the meeting. She said: "The supervisory committee will carefully review the government's request, but we need more information, and the government is reluctant to provide it."