Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 4 February 2020

Report: Census hasn't tested tasks to catch false answers

By MIKE SCHNEIDER The bureau also has a plan ever in which the Cen-
Associated Press to have census takers re- sus Bureau is encouraging
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With interview residents at some most respondents to an-
six weeks to go until most homes that already have swer the questionnaire on-
U.S. residents start filling out been visited by a Census line, although people can
the 2020 Census question- Bureau worker in order to still respond by telephone
naire, an Inspector Gener- serve as a check against or by mailing back paper
al's report says the Census any worker who gives falsi- forms. The 2020 count will
Bureau hasn't tested a new fied answers. help determine the alloca-
process designed to help But the bureau was un- tion of $1.5 trillion in federal
catch false answers. able to fully test the plan in spending and how many
The Inspector General's re- Rhode Island because of congressional seats each
port released last week re- a staffing shortage, the re- state gets.
viewed a 2018 test-run in port said. In its response to the Inspec-
Rhode Island of the once- The Inspector General's re- tor General's r eport, the
a-decade head count, port said that some cen- Census Bureau said it had
focusing on operations in In this Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, file photo, U.S. Census Bureau Direc- sus takers were sent out recently tested some parts
which census takers go into tor Steven Dillingham addresses state and Alaska Native lead- to neighborhoods, during of the plan meant to catch
neighborhoods seeking an- ers in Anchorage, Alaska. the test-run, before the bu- false answers. The bureau
swers from homes where Associated Press reau could verify they were also said it had fixed a de-
residents haven't filled out trained properly. The report fect that had prevented it
their forms. from the forms by sending from testing the new plan also noted that manag- from recording the training-
The report found that out census takers to homes in Rhode Island, and "the ers didn't respond to alerts test scores of census takers.
the Census Bureau had where respondents gave untested process presents about problems with cen- Regarding the alert system,
planned to test the qual- suspicious answers. But the risk to the quality of 2020 sus takers in 15 percent of the bureau said there were
ity of the data collected budget kept the bureau Census data," the Inspector cases. a number of alerts that
General's report said. The 2020 Census is the first were issued in error.q

Trump or Obama? Lawmakers

fight over SC interchange name

spent $300 million to build
new bridges and untangle
traffic. About 200,000 ve-
hicles go through the area
every day.
On Jan. 22, two Republi-
cans introduced their reso-
lution to name the inter-
change the "President Don-
ald J. Trump Interchange."
The resolution said Trump
kept his promises to im-
prove the economy and
defund Planned Parent-
hood despite attacks from
the "fake media."
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on human traf-
ficking in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 31, Six days later, two Demo-
2020, in Washington. crats introduced their reso-
Associated Press lution to name the same
interchange the "President
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — ers in South Carolina whose and First Lady Barack and
"President Donald J. Trump preferences fall along clear Michelle Obama Inter-
Interchange" or "President partisan lines. change." Their resolution
and First Lady Barack and Each of the resolutions praises Obama for keeping
Michelle Obama Inter- looks to name the junction health care costs down,
change?" That is the soon- of Interstate 85 and Inter- helping to pass a hate
to-be fiercely debated state 385 near Greenville, crimes law and winning the
question for state lawmak- where officials recently 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.q