美国国家公共电台 NPR Census Bureau Stops Plans For 2020 Census Advisory Committee

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

NPR has learned about a change in how the Trump¹ administration is preparing for the upcoming 2020 census². Unlike for the national head counts in 2000 and 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau has decided³ not to create a committee of advisers⁴ for the 2020 count. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang explains why that matters.

HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE⁵: The 2020 Census Advisory⁶ Committee was supposed to be a group of up to 25 volunteers with experience in research, business, marketing⁷ or community-based groups.

JOHN THOMPSON: What I wanted to do is try to get a committee set up to give us advice on the census and also to help us get the word out, you know, about the importance of the census.

WANG: That was former Census Bureau Director John Thompson. Before he left the bureau last June, he helped start the plans to create this committee. Now NPR has obtained a letter from the bureau that confirms those plans have been stopped. Instead, the agency is going to rely on advisers from two existing committees that focus on scientific issues and on racial, ethnic⁸ and other populations.

THOMPSON: And I don't want to knock the current committees because I think they're really good. But I don't think that you would get the full breadth of potential users and stakeholders.

WANG: The stakes facing the 2020 census are high. The count determines how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets. That's why Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and chair of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, thinks that not creating a committee for 2020...

MARC MORIAL: Well, that's - I really think that's a mistake.

WANG: Morial says he's especially concerned that the upcoming census will be the first one in the U.S. to be conducted online. Plus, there is a new citizenship⁹ question added by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees¹⁰ the census. That question has sparked six lawsuits¹¹ from dozens of states, cities and other groups that want it removed because Census Bureau research suggests it could discourage noncitizens and harm the head count's accuracy. Morial says a new advisory committee could help the Census Bureau meet the constitutional requirement to count every person living in the country every 10 years.

MORIAL: What this all feeds into is whether there's a intentionality to prevent a complete count or that the department doesn't want transparency, doesn't want accountability.

WANG: In a written statement, a Census Bureau spokesperson described the agency's current group of advisers as well-versed. The bureau is trying to fill open spots on its Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations. Nominations¹² are due by August 3. Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

9 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

10 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

11 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

12 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句