Letter to Steven Dillingham, Census Bureau Director - DeLauro Asks Census Bureau Director for Additional Information on New Household Pulse Survey

Letter

Dear Director Dillingham,

I write to request additional information from the Census Bureau regarding the Bureau's April
22, 2020 announcement of an experimental Household Pulse Survey to track temporal trends in
social and economic in households across the country over the next three months.

According to the announcement, the results of this survey aim provide useful information to the
public, businesses, and policymakers for understanding how changes in business operations,
employment, hours, and the availability of consumer goods and services are impacting American
life. I have serious concerns regarding how this information will be used once it is collected.
That is why I am seeking more information. I have additional concerns related to how the
collection of this information will be protected, and am eager to understand how the information
will be disseminated across government agencies.

Please provide answers to the following questions by June 1, 2020:

- My understanding is that data collected from these surveys is planned to be posted
weekly beginning in mid-May and is expected to include estimates for all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, as well as for the 50 most populated Metropolitan
Statistical Areas, all in real-time. Where will this information be posted, who will have
access to it, and how long will it be available?

- According to your announcement, the information gathered from this survey is meant to
help inform policymakers. As we continue working to craft legislation to respond to
COVID-19, how and when do you plan to present this information to Congress?

- Questions in the survey touch on employment, health, food security, and education
issues, all issues that the Appropriations Committee seeks to address. As a member of the
House Appropriations Committee charged with funding the Census Bureau and the
agencies which helped craft this survey, what plans do you have to share this information
with the Committee and when will you do so?

- What funding accounts were used to allocate the $1.2 million toward the Household
Pulse and Small Business surveys?

- Does the Bureau have plans to transmit the information gathered from these surveys to
State and Local governments?

Thank you for your time and commitment to ensuring the that Census bureau serves the
American people and the country well.

Source