Request for extension stalled in Congress.
As the pandemic set in this past spring, the U.S. Census Bureau had formally requested an extension on their final count, moving the original deadline from Dec. 31, 2020, to April 30, 2021. The request had passed in the House, but was stuck in the Senate. The Bureau had originally targeted October 31 as the deadline for the collection of data.
Last week, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham released a statement announcing that all field data collection and self-response options will end on September 30 “to permit the commencement of data processing.” The bureau is hiring more workers “to accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts by our statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, as required by law and directed by the Secretary of Commerce.”
Addressing concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the director stated, “Our staff will continue to follow Federal, state, and local guidance, including providing appropriate safety trainings and personal protective equipment to field staff.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the U.S. Census Bureau as they navigate an unprecedented moment of history.
- That the agency will successfully and accurately collect and process the data.
- For President Trump as he leads the federal government to the benefit of the American people.
Sources: Associated Press
