Yesterday, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) wrote to U.S. Senate leadership urging them to extend the 2020 census deadline by four months to ensure a complete and accurate count.

In their letter, the association asks for adequate funding to address challenges presented by the pandemic, and a four month extension to the statutory reporting deadline. COG urges the Senate to follow the House of Representative’s lead and include an extension of the 2020 Census operations as part of the next COVID-19 relief package. Earlier this week the Census Bureau announced that they will end all counting efforts on September 30, one month earlier than originally planned. Roughly 4 out of 10 Maryland households are yet to be counted, and accurate census counts are crucial to securing federal funding for counties.

From the letter:

The administration’s new proposal to rush major census operations will throw the complex census contingency plan into turmoil and result in incomplete data that will undermine the ability of Congress and state leaders to wisely and effectively allocate trillions of dollars for vital services and infrastructure improvements over the next decade. We must give all communities and census workers the time needed to produce an accurate and complete count.

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