U.S. Rep. James Comer representing Kentucky's 1st Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. James Comer representing Kentucky's 1st Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer held a hearing regarding the oversight of the U.S. Census Bureau, focusing on errors found in the 2020 Census. Comer expressed concern that these inaccuracies mainly favored Democratic-leaning states, affecting congressional representation and electoral college votes.
Chairman Comer emphasized the necessity for the Oversight Committee to understand these issues to prevent similar occurrences in the 2030 Census. He also underscored the importance of advancing the Equal Representation Act, which proposes adding a citizenship question to future census questionnaires.
Comer stated, "American citizens’ federal representation should be determined by American citizens only," advocating for this legislation to become law.
In his prepared remarks, Comer highlighted that Article One of the U.S. Constitution mandates a decennial census to apportion representation in Congress and allocate electoral college votes. The census also influences how Congress distributes funds and federal agencies achieve their missions.
The hearing aimed to examine ongoing planning for the 2030 Census, with preparations already underway despite being five years out. Comer noted that counting over 330 million people is a significant task requiring engagement with stakeholders at various levels and leveraging lessons from previous censuses.
He pointed out flaws in the 2020 Census not seen before, where errors were detected in 14 states according to the Post-Enumeration Survey. These miscounts impacted congressional seats and electoral college votes allocation.
Specifically, overcounts were reported in states like New York and Massachusetts, while undercounts affected Texas and Florida among others. Such discrepancies influenced apportionment calculations; for example, New York narrowly lost one seat due to a difference of only 89 people.
Comer stressed understanding what went wrong is crucial given demographic shifts as residents move from high-tax blue states to red states seeking lower taxes and more freedom.
Finally, he reiterated support for the Equal Representation Act as essential for ensuring fairness in elections by counting only U.S. citizens for congressional seats and electoral votes apportionment.
Chairman Comer looked forward to discussions with Director Robert Santos about preparations for an accurate 2030 Census.
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