Don’t skimp on census
Gov. Andrew Cuomo may have a laser-like focus when it comes to balancing budgets, but he seems to suffer from an unfortunate myopia when it comes to seeing the big financial picture of the 2020 census.
In his zeal to save money, the governor seems to have severely underfunded the state’s effort to ensure that every person in New York is counted in the census. It’s a mistake that could hurt New York for years.
New York is already projected to slip a notch when it comes to population, going from third place in 2010 to fourth place, after Florida, according to Census Bureau estimates. Those estimates put the state’s population at 19.5 million people, an increase of less than 200,000 since the 2010 census.
That could cost New York two of its current 27 seats in the House of Representatives.
It also could mean less populationbased federal aid for New York in the years to come. That’s bad news for a state that already sends far more to Washington than it gets back — about $35.6 billion a year more, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
If these estimates aren’t concern enough, consider the Trump administration’s push to tinker with the census by inserting a question on citizenship, which critics say is likely to discourage immigrants — legal or not — from responding. That could especially hurt New York, with its estimated 725,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Pew Research Center.
New York is one of six states, along with California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and Georgia, that host most of the country’s undocumented immigrants. Note the political dynamics: Three of those states voted blue in the last presidential election, and two were considered swing states. Diminishing their House representation also cuts their weight in the Electoral College, which President Donald Trump won while losing the popular vote. Three courts have the blocked the citizenship question; the U.S. Supreme Court may well decide the issue.
All of which makes it vital that New York do all it can to ensure a fair and complete count in next year’s census.
But Mr. Cuomo seems to be less than focused on that goal. He put just $20 million in the budget for the effort to promote participation in the census — half the most conservative estimate of what New York needs to spend. Meanwhile, the state’s Complete Count Commission, which he substantially controls, downplays the need for more money even before it has reported on what the state’s strategy should be — recommendations that were due months ago.
Now the Cuomo administration suggests philanthropic groups, local governments and libraries chip in. Fine, but any resources they might contribute must come on top of a fullf ledged commitment by the state.
Mr. Cuomo may balance the budget today, but his shortsighted approach risks shortchanging New York for a decade to come. The state cannot afford not to do this right.