Poverty and the 2010 Census

by Leigh Graham · 2009-02-13 07:07:00 UTC
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Theories abound over why Senator Judd Gregg removed his name from consideration for Commerce Secretary yesterday.  He cited irreconcilable differences over the census in his withdrawal speech, though Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel disputes that arguments over census control had anything to do with it.  I've got no deeper insight into this whole public relations fiasco, but I do think it invites us to think about the relationship between the upcoming census and domestic poverty.

Poverty thresholds are set by the census and determine "all official poverty population figures."  Financial eligibilty and administrative guidelines for anti-poverty programs are then based off of these, determined by Health & Human Services (another a ship without a captain right now).  Democrats and Republicans routinely fight over the decennial census (1990, 2000, 2010) because population counts determine Congressional districts, as well as government funding allocations for schools, hospitals, infrastructure, etc.  Black and Latin@ elected leaders criticized Obama's initial selection of Gregg for Commerce, citing his past stripping of funds for the census that may contribute to undercounting of people of color.

The census is a political tool and a political project.  Federal poverty measures are considered far too low by most anti-poverty advocates, yet planning for the 2010 census is so far behind already that any effort to improve or transform how poverty is measured is virtually nil.  Nonetheless, other activists are organizing around census advocacy, and I'd love to hear from you about anti-poverty activists' plans to do the same.

Also, the census is hiring. Visit 2010 jobs for more info.

Leigh Graham
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