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JUDY WOODRUFF: But first: 
The U.S. census is generally 
considered more technical than

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controversial, but, in recent 
months, the once-a-decade 
population count has been the

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subject of political debate.

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There has been no move to 
replace director, John Thompson, 
since his surprise resignation

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last spring.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross 
recently asked Congress for 
additional funding to keep the

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agency from collapsing.

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Hari Sreenivasan spoke with 
former Census Director Kenneth 
Prewitt to discuss what a

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crippled census in 2020 
could mean for our democracy.

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But he began with a 
quick look at how the 
census affects us all.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Here's 
a bit of civics 101.

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The U.S. census is an attempt 
by the government to count every 
person living in the United

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States.

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Every 10 years, the Census 
Bureau gathers information like 
gender, age, race and income.

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ACTOR: We did it.

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We did it.

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Hey.

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ACTOR: What did you do?

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ACTOR: We helped mommy 
fill out her census form.

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And we mailed it back.

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ACTOR: But why?

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ACTOR: Because everybody 
counts in the census form.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: But 
why does the government 
collect this data?

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First, the Constitution says to.

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GEORGE H.W.

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BUSH, Former President of the 
United States: One of the ways 
the Constitution preserves

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our rights is to require 
the government to conduct 
a census every 10 years.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: The 
founding fathers decided 
the number of seats in the 
U.S. House is determined

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by the number of 
people in each state.

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The official count is used 
to draw voting districts at 
the national, state and local

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levels.

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But there's another 
important reason the U.S. 
conducts a census: money.

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MAN: And 2.4 
million, 2.5 million.

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WOMAN: The U.S. census isn't 
just a population count.

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It helps allocate 
federal, state and local 
funds to your community.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: The 
federal government decides 
how much funding or 
grants to give states,

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counties and cities by looking 
at the detailed census data.

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That means money for updating 
schools, building new hospitals, 
repairing broken roads, and

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maintaining public 
utilities like water, 
sewage and electricity.

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MAN: You can answer census 
2000 and get what you need, or 
you can leave it blank and get

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this, nothing.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Private 
companies also make 
major decisions based 
on what the census says,

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like where to build 
grocery stores or new 
housing developments.

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But like any other government 
agency, the Census Bureau 
needs funding to do its job.

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And it's not cheap.

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The last census, in 2010, cost 
taxpayers $13 billion, with 
more than 500 field offices

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and 635,000 staffers nationwide.

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Republicans already worried 
about big government have 
questioned that price tag.

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South Carolina 
ÑMDNMÑCongressman Trey Gowdy:

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REP.

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TREY GOWDY (R), South 
Carolina: Cost matters.

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I think it matters, 
period, new paragraph.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Kenneth 
Prewitt, thanks for joining us.

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It's been a significant concern.

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Budget hawks say, why does the 
census cost as much as it does?

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Aren't there technologies 
now that can do it better 
and less expensively?

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KENNETH PREWITT, Former U.S. 
Census Director: They're trying 
to do the 2020 census at roughly

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half of the price of the 2010 
census, whereas the 2010 was 
double the price of the 2000.

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That was the one 
I was engaged in.

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So, yes, enormous advances 
have been made in using 
technology to reduce the cost.

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But if you are not even funded 
at that level with these new 
technologies, well, you're

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simply ill-prepared to 
do the census in 2020.

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The bad news is, it's 
not being funded, and we 
currently don't have a leader.

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We don't have a director in 
the Census Bureau, so we're not 
ready in that more important

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sense.

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And then another issue, 
we're trying new technologies 
this year for the first 
time ever in a census.

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And you have to test them, 
or you should test them.

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There's no money to test them.

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Just it's like you had a fighter 
fly a plane that puts a new 
technology in it that's never

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been before, rolls off the 
assembly line, and they say, 
oh, go directly into action.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: There was a 
draft that was leaked earlier 
this year that recommended

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that the U.S. census -- quote 
-- "include questions that 
determine U.S. citizenship

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and immigration status."

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Now, there's indication 
that that would be included 
in the 2020 census.

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But what kind of an 
effect does that have?

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KENNETH PREWITT: It would 
scare a lot of people that 
you actually need to count.

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The census is supposed to 
count everyone in the country, 
once and only once and in the

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right place.

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That's a big job.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Considering 
that we're in a climate where 
institutions that we once

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used to trust are regularly 
questioned, whether it's fake 
news or fake census, what's the

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consequence of something 
like this not being trusted?

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KENNETH PREWITT: 
Huge, quite honestly.

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If we really have a bad census, 
one of the things that could 
happen is the administration

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could say, let's not use 
it, let's sort of just 
use the old numbers.

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And with respect to 
redistricting, allocation 
of seats in the U.S. 
Congress, that means

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we would go with 
what we now have.

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A lot of population movement 
in the last 10 years.

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So this would 
really be a setback.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: It seems 
constitutionally it was designed 
as a representative tool,

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not a political one, but over 
the years, it's been used by 
either side that's in control

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as kind of a political tool.

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KENNETH PREWITT: I would say the 
Census Bureau is not political.

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The use of the 
numbers is political.

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And as long as we can have 
the Census Bureau only wanting 
to produce the most accurate,

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complete count, then it, 
itself, is not political.

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If they are misused are used 
in ways that we -- they are 
gerrymandering now with those

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census data.

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So a population which is roughly 
50/50 in terms of electoral 
strength is roughly 60/40

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in terms of seats in the 
Congress and governorships.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Are there 
vested interests in wanting 
to maintain the status quo?

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KENNETH PREWITT: Well, yes.

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And I'm trying not to be 
political here, but if you like 
the distribution of seats and

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the distribution governorships 
in particular in the country 
now, and you think that by

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having a good census, you may 
lose some of the seats, then 
why would you want to have

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a good census?

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HARI SREENIVASAN: Can the census 
be salvaged or saved, given 
the amount of time and the

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amount of money that 
we have right now?

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KENNETH PREWITT: Oh, yes.

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If there was strong leadership 
in place within the next five 
months -- let us say four or

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five months, and if the 
budget were where it ought 
to be, yes, it can be saved.

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There comes a time 
when you can't save it.

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If you have not tested the 
census in 2018, it's too late 
to fix it, even if you tested

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it in 2019.

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You don't have the time to 
go back and fix any of the 
problems you encountered in the

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big test.

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HARI SREENIVASAN: 
Kenneth Prewitt, now 
of Columbia University, 
former director of the

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U.S. census, thanks 
for joining us.

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KENNETH PREWITT: My pleasure.

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Thanks.