WASHINGTON – Today, the Ranking Republican on the Committee on House Administration, Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., and Committee member Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., joined the House Census Task Force created to protect the Census Bureau's ability to conduct the 2010 national census in an independent and non-political fashion.

Lungren made the following statement in response to the White House announcement that the Census Bureau would no longer act independently, reporting to the Secretary of Commerce, but instead would report to Rahm Emanuel in the White House:

"When the American people cast their votes last November, this was not the change they were waiting for. There has been no suggestion whatsoever that the Census was going to be politicized, and that was the basis of Barack Obama's election.

"It is obvious that Rahm Emanuel understands the potential for corrupting the process, and it is unfortunate that he has now been put in charge of the Census, particularly when he has articulated his position so well.

"This is serious business. I represent Republicans, Democrats, Independents – people who are not registered – men, women, and children. They have every right to be considered as honestly and as fairly as anybody who lives in any other district. This doesn't go to the question of Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate; it goes to honesty, integrity, the delivery of governmental programs, and it goes to the essence of democracy. Will they have fair representation?

"This is not something to be trifled with. The Constitution ought to mean something to all of us – Democrat, Republican, and Independent alike. This is an extraordinarily poor decision, and we would call upon the President to reconsider and in the spirit of bipartisanship, recognize that if you have made a mistake, own-up to that mistake and return us to Constitutional law."

For more information, please contact the Committee press office at (202) 225-8281.