Keep Political Hands Off Vital Census Data (Rep. Kevin Brady)

As Americans lose their jobs in this economy, they shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not someone in Washington is ‘spinning’ the unemployment data to fit a political agenda. People are scared. While Washington wastes time and money on such issues as Interstate Chimpanzee Transport, they are worried about putting food on the table. What they shouldn’t have to worry about is the White House seizing control over the U.S. Census Bureau and turning the government statistics we all rely on into just another political tool.

The Census Bureau, which gathers the critical monthly labor numbers we are all glued to, must remain free of political spin doctors. At last Friday’s Joint Economic Committee hearing on the unemployment numbers, I asked Bureau of Labor Statistics Director Keith Hall point blank “Is it important for your data that the Census Bureau be completely free of any political appearance –- or interference -– from either party?”  Hall responded “Absolutely!”

As the leading House Republican on the Joint Economic Committee, I don’t want anyone to have to wonder if the numbers we are relying on are grounded in reality or politics.