Rep. Jason Chaffetz blasts census claim of 'savings'

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Tuesday that the 2010 Census is coming in 22 percent under budget this year, so it will return $1.6 billion to the Treasury.

But Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah — a member of a House subcommittee that oversees the census — says that announcement is misleading, and that the 2010 Census actually cost billions more than originally planned.

"It is outrageous for the census to tout cost-savings success," Chaffetz said. "In fact, the 2010 Census was 54 percent more expensive per household than in 2000," costing $122 per household this year compared to $79 in 2000.

Chaffetz added, "Even adjusted for population growth, household growth and inflation, they spent record amounts of money for roughly the same results."

He also said the final cost of $14.5 billion is about $3 billion higher than the originally projected cost of $11.5 billion. He said that was increased to $16 billion — including $1 billion in stimulus funding — when the Census Bureau anticipated cost overruns.

"I applaud any return of taxpayer dollars, but the Census Bureau cannot claim 'savings,' " Chaffetz said. "I hope the census can count people better than they can account for their dollars spent."

Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke did claim savings in a press conference. He also said it was especially significant because when he took office last year, most politicians warned that the 2010 Census was a train wreck waiting to happen after missteps during the Bush administration.

Locke said the census under the Obama administration "brought substantial cost-savings for the American taxpayer. The 2010 Census is a textbook example of President Obama's Accountable Government initiative, which aims to cut waste while delivering taxpayers better services at a very efficient price."

Census Director Robert Groves said about $800 million of the savings came from not using money that had been set aside in case of natural disasters or operational breakdowns that could have disrupted census operations.

Another $650 million in savings came because fewer households than anticipated had to be visited in person by enumerators because about 72 percent of households mailed back forms — about the same percentages as in 2000.

He said another $150 million in savings came because other census operations — such as counting people on tribal lands and in Alaska — cost less than planned.

Initial nationwide results of the census are due on or before Dec. 31. At the same time, the census by law must announce how many U.S. House seats each state is entitled to because of the new count.

Utah is expected to receive a new, fourth House of Representatives seat. In 2000, Utah just missed obtaining a fourth seat. A final audit showed that if Utah had achieved just 80 more people counted that year, the state would have received the last available House district that instead went to North Carolina.

This story was reported from Salt Lake City.

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