At morning and thank you all for being here today. Todays hearing comes at a perilous time for the 2020 census. Last month they were traveling press reports indicating career officials at the Census Bureau warned the trumpmp administratin about significant that will delay the delivery of census data until late january or early february. After these reports became public the director of the census issued a Public Statement nfirming the problems were found but he provided no details. These developments were particularly troubling because they were not reported to ournt committee. We have. About them in the press before the census charger made his Public Statement. Nobody from the Trump Administration informed us about any of these problems or delays. For these reasons the committee wrote a letter on november 19. They asked for documents that career officials prepare describing these data problems and the resulting delays. They also requested documents that were prepared for the department of commerce including commerce secretary wilbur ross. In response to our request they gave us nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a single page. These documents were done a week ago and the census was in its most critical stage iv the trump to believeions seems that theyll congress nothing, no documents whatsoever. Last week we held a bipartisan staff meeting with directors and their top aides wows them wide they hadnt turned over any of the documents we received. In response they pointed to secretary ross opposite the commerce department. They explained they collected documents and sent them to general counsel but then they were quote not for release end quote. When our staff asked why not they indicated secretary rosss office was withholding these documents with concern about quote ongoing litigation end quote. This is entirely unacceptable. The existence of separate litigation is not a valid reason to withhold documents from congress. In addition the administraon explains their withholding these documents because of ongoing litigation and raises serious usquestions about whether they e seeking to conceal information. Not just from congress but from the judiciary. Just this week on monday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving the present order to exclude an documented immigrants from the census count. At the same time the Trump Administration was blocking these documents from coming out. Nevertheless despite the Trump Administrations instruction our committee has now been able to obtain. These internal documents from another source. These internal documents not only contend that the Census Bureau will not take until at least late january to resolve these data problems and produce a complete and accurate count but that these problems are more serious than first reported. These internal documents show that rather than Getting Better these problems may be getting worse. Written by career professionals the stock units described more than 1 million records in every state in our nation. These problems could affect state population counts impact representation in congress and reduce states that are due under host of federal programs. These internal documents ogscribed and intensive process to fix the errors. They also warn that taking shortcuts and trying to rush this process could aggravate the situation further can lead to even more problems. As i said the Trump Administration tried to block our committee from seeing these documents. We had to get them from another source. The administration has claimed publicly that they are addressing these problems by bringing in more resources that we do not have the information we need to check these claims. The Trump Administration is preventing our committee from verifying the data problems, their impact on the accuracy of the census and the time career professionals need to fix them. For these reasons the committee sent a letter yesterday to wilbur ross the secretary of commerce. We gave him until next wednesday to produce a complete and unredacted set of documents we requested last month. I ask unanimous consent to place this letter in the record and that it be made part of the hearing record. So ordered. These documents should be made available to congress, to the judiciary if necessary and to the American People so that they all have confidence in the census numbers going forward. So far the Trump Administration is tried to keep this information secret from everyone. As our letter explains its secretary ross fails to comply momentarily he will receive a dlfriendly subpoena. The constitution charges congress with over the census and we need these documents to ensure that it is complete and accurate. Our Witnesses Today are experts in the field of data science census operations in and the use of census data byy cities and states to provide services and improve the lives of the American People. I look forward to hearing their Expert Opinions about the new documents we obtained as well as the other significant challenges faced by the census. I now recognize Ranking Member komar for his Opening Statement and i yield back. Chairman maloney i appreciate you calling this hearing today on the 2020 census but let me begin by saying unequivocally the 2020 census is counting every resident in the United States regardless of citizenship status. The Census Bureau has already counted 99. 98 of households in the United States. The remaining 210000 of unresolved will be resolved by longstanding methods that the democrats still seem uninterested in these facts and instead are launching partisan attacks on the 2020 census to undermine the public results. Todays hearing supposedly is about the completeness neck or see the 2020 census but just as our last hearing no Census Bureau witnesses have been invited to testify. So its unclear to me what we expect to learn today. During transcribed interviews earlier this year career staff made clear the bureau was committed to complete and accurate census. There working to deliver on these commitments. It was made clear that the issue citizens encountered in completingle the census are fewn numbero relates only 63100 of the data for the census and does not call into question the quality of the data and on par with issues arriving in prior censuses. They confirmed they are working quickly and efficiently as possible to all available resources to finalize a complete and accurate census while they are like it will be a short delay in apportionment results. That is in because of problems with the completeness inaccuracy of the census data. It was because of delays early in the year resulting from litigation. Just this week, just this week the Supreme Court heard oral argumentsen to the challenge of president trumps directive that theru census report in apportionment that excludes nonlegal residents in the United States including immigrants. That was an important step to ensure the sanctity of her nations elections and equal representation under the constitution. Including Illegal Immigrants and representation in congress only to lose the representation of all americans who voted in elections and makes a mockery of other basic principle of oneperson, one vote. I urge us all to focus on the real task at hand. The Census Bureaus extraordinary effort to complete it accurate census count not undermining Public Confidence in his work drawback. Given we haveve are ready had hearings on the 2020 census and euro has a complete and accurate count we are getting to the bottom of where the integrity of the 2020 election was compromised router and the 2020 election we witnessed by get me langenfelder being dashed a la king in several states leading to errors and irregularities. For example i sent a letter to the election assistant Commission Inspector general asking him tor investigate why the california secretary of state used 35 million of taxpayer money to pay joe biden main Election CampaignAdvisory Firm to conduct voter data. Id like to know why the taxpayer money was used in such a questionable manner but unfortunately the Inspector General has yet to take any action. Also on november 18 the Judiciary CommitteeRanking Member jim jordan and i met with commissioner nadler to address irregularities. Why are weea e holding yet anotr hearing on the Bipartisan Campaign against the 2020 census. Democrats have had ample time to further their leftwing agenda but they wont hold a single hearing on Election Integrity in protecting the sanctity of the ballot box . These parties speak for themselves and with that i yield back. Now alleged abuser witnesses. Their first witness today is christopher who is the managing director of the Strategic Issues team at the Government Accountability office. Then well hear from Robert Santos who serves as the Vice President and chief methodologist revere been instituted and is the president elect of the American Statistical Association. Next well go to joseph salvo who is the chief demographer the Population Division of the new York City Department of city planning. Finally well hear from jeff landry who is the attorney general for the state of louisiana. The witnesses will be unmuted so we can swear the man. Please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that the testimonyu youre about to give us the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . I do. I do. Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Their written statements will be made part of the record and with that you are now recognized for your testimony. Stay and i thank you maam and chairwoman maloney Ranking Member calmer members of the commite i am very pleased to once again appear before you to bediscuss the progress of the 20 census. I had the great pleasure of presenting the work of my colleagues whove been supporting the census or supporting the congress on census issuefor many years. As this committee is well aware of the 2020 census was undertaken under extraordinary circumstance to respond to covid19. The bureau made a series of design chang that affected the way the bureau did its work in the time that it took too that work. These changes also affect the quality of the census that the bureau will provide for congressional redistricting. As mr. Calmer noted in his Opening Statement of professional census burea are deeply committed to priding accurate and complete census counts for apportionment redistricting. My bottom line today is that is important for transparency and to ensure Public Confidence in the quality of the buru shares the key indicators of data complicit accuracy in near real time in reaortionment districting data. Day we are issuing the first in a series of our planned reports that will assess the operations of the 2020 census and identify Lessons Learned for 2030 and unfortunately its not something you be thinking about for the 2030 census for that report entitled 2020 Census Quality concerns stemming from cent design changes recommends the department of commerce and appear at possible data quality implications and lessons leaed including the operational successes of the bureaus response to covid19. We are very pleased the department of comrce has agreed with that recommendation. Again underscorg a cplete and accurate census. I the committees where the American Statistical Association and Scientific Advisory committee issued merousfi recommendations including what it knows about the quality of the population count that provides to the present and the congress pretenses and with their report recommendation the congress accepted in the organization my written statement detail some of the Census Quality indicators that the bureau should consider providing when it releases those apportionment counts. More more specifically appear believed as aba longstanding practice households provide the most accurate census data however the bureau necessarily at times uses alternative Data Collection methods when its unable to obtain census from the house hoping these alternative methods include proxy from neighbors and knowledgeable parties these of administrative records in counts. Looking at the race which the pier used each of these alternative methods we give insight into the overall quality to the census. If the nationwide counts provide censusualaids important to go to this however the bureau needs examined the ratere at which these alternatie method and by key demographic groups. Chairwoman maloney Ranking Member calmer members of the committee this completes my statement id be pleased to respond to any questions you may have. Thank you so much. We are going to take a brief recess because we have a vote in r Democratic Caucus reading right now and want to give all over numbe the opportunity. The committee stands in recess for five mines. Mr. Santos you are now recognized, mr. Santos. Thank you andk good morning chairwoman maloney, Ranking Member calmer and committee members. It is an honor to assist you today. Please note that my remarks are my own and not to be attributed to the urban institute adds trustees. The storiesf