Census News Brief: Stakeholders Express Broad Support For Dr. Groves; House Republicans Suggest Dr. Groves Would “Manipulate” Census Results
Terri Ann Lowenthal
Census stakeholder organizations from the civil rights and scientific communities applauded President Obama’s announcement today that he intends to nominate Dr. Robert M. Groves to be director of the U.S. Census Bureau. Dr. Groves, Director of the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, served as an Associate Director at the Census Bureau from 1990–1992.
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said, “The decennial Census faces significant challenges, but I am confident that Robert’s leadership will help us meet those challenges.” The Secretary’s statement also noted, “As Census Director, Groves will report to Secretary Locke.”
Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a coalition of more than 200 organizations, called Dr. Groves “one of the nation’s most respected survey methodologists and a leading authority on the issue of non-response in surveys.” Mr. Henderson said the nominee’s “scientific and management expertise and professionalism in this area is sorely needed given the many challenges the 2010 census will be facing.”
The Asian American Justice Center called Dr. Groves “a highly qualified and credible candidate, and we are very encouraged by his obvious stature in the scientific community and within the Census Bureau.”
Six professional organizations issued a joint statement endorsing the nomination, saying, “Dr. Groves has demonstrated the scientific capacity and leadership to run the 2010 Census and other programs at the Census Bureau.” They noted that Dr. Groves has received “numerous distinguished awards” from the scientific community and served on several scientific review panels. The Consortium of Social Science Associations, Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, American Sociological Association, American Statistical Association, Population Association of America, Association of Population Centers, and American Association for Public Opinion Research signed the statement.
The chairmen of the House and Senate subcommittees that oversee the Census Bureau both issued statements praising the candidate. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE) said Dr. Groves “is just the person the Census Bureau needs now to stay on track and ensure a smooth, successful 2010 Census.” He noted that as a former senior Census Bureau official, Dr. Groves “needs no on-the-job training.” Rep. William “Lacy” Clay (D-MO), chairman of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, noted that the nominee “is a nationally recognized expert in statistical research and survey methodology” and said he looked forward to working with Dr. Groves “to reduce the undercount of minorities and to increase the national mail-back response rate.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), a long-time member of the House census oversight subcommittee, said she was “thrilled” with the nomination of “an expert on data quality to ensure that we have the most accurate census possible, and to reverse the neglect of the prior administration.”
Several Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives criticized the expected nomination. Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican Leader, expressed “concern” about the selection of Dr. Groves to head the Census Bureau. Noting Dr. Groves’ senior position during the 1990 census, Rep. Boehner said the nominee “reportedly advocated a scheme to use computer analysis to manipulate Census data, rather than simply conducting an accurate count of the American people. The plan was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1999.”
Census Director Barbara Everitt Bryant, appointed to the position by President George H.W. Bush right before the start of the 1990 count, selected Dr. Groves to replace another Associate Director who had recently resigned. Following the census, Dr. Groves served on an eleven-member expert panel of senior Census Bureau staff that reviewed the results of a post-census survey (called the Post Enumeration Survey) that measured the accuracy of the 1990 census. All but two of the panel’s members recommended that the survey’s results be used to adjust (not replace) the initial census count. Based on the panel’s analysis, Dr. Bryant recommended, in mid-1991, a statistical adjustment of the census to Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher. The Secretary rejected the recommendation, and the 1990 census was not adjusted for any official purpose, such as congressional apportionment and redistricting and the allocation of federal program funds.
In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a lawsuit filed the previous year by House Republicans against the Department of Commerce, challenging the 2000 census plan that included the use of sampling to complete the count of households that did not mail back a census form (called the Non-Response Follow-Up operation) and potentially to adjust the initial census counts based on the results of an accuracy-check survey (called the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation, or A.C.E., survey). The high court found that the Census Act (Title 13, U.S.C., §195) prohibited the use of sampling for purposes of apportioning seats in Congress. The Court did not rule on the constitutionality of sampling in the decennial census.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the senior Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which oversees Census Bureau programs, called the intended nominee “an incredibly troubling selection that contradicts the Administration’s assurances that the census process would not be used to advance an ulterior political agenda.” Rep. Issa questioned “the sincerity” of recently confirmed Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s statement at the Secretary’s Senate confirmation hearing, that there are “no plans in the Department of Commerce or the Census Bureau to use any type of statistical sampling with respect to population count.” Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, said at the hearing that she “was pleased to hear your position that the census will stay in the Department of Commerce and it will be handled on a professional basis,” referring to pre-hearing discussions she had with Mr. Locke about lines of authority between the Census director and Commerce Secretary and assurances that the 2010 census plan did not include the use of statistical methods to adjust the final census numbers.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, said Dr. Groves’ nomination signaled that President Obama “intends to employ the political manipulation of census data for partisan gain. Mr. Groves is a leading advocate for partisan data manipulation.” Rep. McHenry also referred to Secretary Locke’s confirmation hearing statement that the 2010 census plan did not include consideration of statistical adjustment, saying that the nomination would “force Commerce Secretary Locke to contradict his sworn testimony.” “This alone should be enough for the U.S. Senate to prevent the confirmation of Mr. Groves,” the congressman said.
In response to the criticism of the nominee, Mr. Henderson of LCCR said it was “unfortunate that some have chosen to play the usual partisan politics. They should instead be focused on ensuring that there is an inclusive and accurate count of all Americans.” The Asian American Justice Center said the “baseless accusation is an insult to the scientific community, at large, and to an outstanding, respected social scientist who has served his country previously as a senior Census Bureau official. We hope these critics instead will focus their attention on the need to encourage everyone to participate in the 2010 census.” The scientific associations said the critics’ focus on statistical adjustment was “spurious” and noted that Secretary Locke “has assured the Congress that there will be no statistical adjustment in the 2010 count.”
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, led by Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), is likely to hold a nomination hearing this month. Sen. Carper and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, which has jurisdiction over Census Bureau programs.
Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, an independent legislative and policy consultant working with a wide range of census stakeholders to promote an accurate 2010 census. All views expressed in the News Briefs are solely those of the author. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K [at] aol [dot] com (TerriAnn2K [at] aol [dot] com). Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations and to reprint any or all of the information. Previous Census News Briefs are posted on the Census Project web site, at www.thecensusproject.org.
