Hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - Opening Statement of Sen. Johnson, Hearing on Nominations of Steven D. Dillingham to be Director of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Michael M. Kubayanda to be a Commissioner, Postal Regulatory Commission

Hearing

Today, the Committee will consider the nominations for two important positions, the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau and a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The Census Bureau Director is responsible for carrying out the Bureau's mission to collect and publish statistics about the United States. The most significant program at the Bureau is the decennial census, required by the Constitution to count the population of the United States for the purpose of determining Congressional representation. Managing the decennial census is a monumental task. The Census Bureau will need to hire nearly 500,000 temporary employees and establish regional offices to support 2020 Census operations. The Bureau will also actively engage with thousands of contractors to ensure critical information technology systems are ready and secure in time for 2020 Census operations. The Bureau and other governmental partners will have to work closely to mitigate the risk of bad actors manipulating Census results or attacking public trust in this critical civic activity.

In addition to overseeing the 2020 Census, the next Census Director will be responsible for the Bureau's other periodic censuses and surveys of the American people and economy, including the American Community Survey, the Economic Census, and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers.

The Postal Regulatory Commission is an independent agency responsible for regulating the United States Postal Service. The Commission limits price increases on market dominant products, or those for which the Postal Service has a legal or natural monopoly, and ensures that competitive products are priced according to law. The Commission also reviews Postal Service compliance with laws to protect postal services for the American people.

President Trump has nominated two well-qualified candidates to serve in these positions. Dr. Steven Dillingham currently serves as the Director of Strategic Information, Research and Planning for the Peace Corps. He has an over 40-year career in federal government and policy research, including serving as the Director of two federal statistical agencies--the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Michael Kubayanda currently serves as the Privacy Officer and Board Member for access.mobile International, an electronic health services technology startup serving communities in the United States and Africa. He previously worked for the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the United States Postal Service.

I thank both of the nominees and your families for your willingness to serve and for joining us today.

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