Pritzker pushes for more federal funding after census undercount

From news release
Rock River Current
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Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on the federal government to ensure that Illinois receives its share of funding that reflects a growth of 250,000 residents.

That call comes after the U.S. Census Bureau said last week that the state’s population was likely undercounted during the 2020 census.

The bureau said its post-enumeration survey, which covers a small sample size of the overall census, showed Illinois was undercounted by roughly 2%. That means that instead of losing 18,000 residents, Illinois would have gained roughly 250,000 people.

Pritzker quickly pounced on that survey last week to respond to critics who have said his administration’s policies have led to more outmigration and population loss for Illinois. On Tuesday, he sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting federal funding that would reflect the increase.

“Illinois is growing, and our federal funding should reflect that reality,” Pritzker said in a news release. “Nearly 250,000 Illinoisans — the majority of whom are from historically disenfranchised and underserved communities — were not represented in the census results. That’s why I have urged President Biden and the federal government to ensure that the local communities of Illinois receive the federal dollars they are entitled to — and deserve.”

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Pritzker’s letter to Biden calls for adjusted population counts to be considered when allocating over $1.5 trillion in federal funds for Medicare, affordable housing, homeland security and other programs.

The survey doesn’t change the official census count, which is how the allocation of federal dollars and representation in Congress is determined, the U.S. Census Bureau said last week. Illinois was one of six states estimated to have its population undercounted in the census.

Pritzker said census undercounts often disservice Black, Latino and minority residents, making the correct appropriation of the federal funds even more improtant.

“I thank the President for his commitment to an accurate census count, and I look forward to working with him to guarantee that our state secures its fair share of federal funding,” Pritzker said.