The COVID-19 crisis has caused serious delays and disruptions to 2020 Census operations. Without quick congressional action, we face a Census undercount that will shortchange NC’s schools, child care, health care, seniors, roads, and more for the next decade. Ask Senators Burr and Tillis to push back the Census Bureau’s deadline to allow for a full and accurate count. Only 84% of NC’s population has been counted – with just 19 days to go until Census field operations end!
Children under five, children of color, and children in low-income homes are the most likely to be missed if we rush the census count. An extended deadline will give the Census Bureau’s door-to-door counting operation the time, space, and protection to complete work correctly, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
More than $16 billion per year in federal funding to vital programs – like Medicaid, SNAP, and the National School Lunch Program – is at stake in North Carolina. An inaccurate count means our communities will be under-resourced for the next decade.