The United States House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday released a staff report advising that Alabama could lose a total of $39.7 million per year in federal funding if there is just a 1% undercount in the state’s 2020 Census response.
The report specified that of that total, a 1% undercount would mean that more than $35 million annually could be lost in federal healthcare funding, specifically related to Medicaid, CHIP and foster care assistance programs. Additionally, the state’s schools could lose nearly $2.5 million per year in federal funding, and Alabama could lose more than $1.9 million a year in federal jobs programs funding.
These funding subsets are not inclusive of all federal funding on the line, so more is at stake for the Yellowhammer State besides the above figures. And, of course, the larger the undercount, the more these sums would increase on an annual basis.
As of Thursday at 11:15 a.m. CT, a total of 79.8% of Alabama households had completed the 2020 Census; this rate is dead last in the nation. The national average is 88.8%.
Governor Kay Ivey this week continued to urge Alabamians to complete the Census.
RELATED: Ivey urges public to fill out Census – ‘Alabama stands to lose too much’
Complete your #2020Census today. Be counted! If not for you, for those in Alabama who depend on you for a brighter tomorrow. https://t.co/5ZId4Vs6RB #ALCounts #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/DJlNvR6qz8
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) September 10, 2020
In addition to funding ramifications, the state of Alabama is at risk of losing a congressional seat and a corresponding vote in the Electoral College.
The September 30 deadline for completing the 2020 Census is quickly approaching.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
