PROVIDENCE, RI – Today, Lt. Governor Dan McKee issued the following statement on the Census Bureau's only full "trial run" taking place in Providence County.
"As a former Mayor, I always find it deeply troubling when the federal or state government shortsightedly issues mandates without consulting municipal leaders regarding the mandates' local impact on communities.
The census is intended to gather accurate counts of the number of people living in our cities and towns. Communities depend on the accuracy of this data to receive federal funding for programs like Medicaid, SNAP and affordable housing, programs that support our state's most vulnerable.
Mayor Diossa is correct to point out that the lack of funding to conduct the census paired with including the declaration of citizenship question will drastically reduce the number participants and cost cities and towns millions in vital funding.
Mayor Diossa is the leader of a comeback community recovering from recent bankruptcy; he understands more than anyone that the loss of funding due to inaccurate census information will slow down the recovery of the city he leads. I stand with the Mayor as he takes on this controversial issue on behalf of cities and towns in our state. Inaccurate census counts will impact funding in all of our communities and fiscally weaken all of Rhode Island."