Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, today released the following statement in regards to allegations concerning the Bureau of the Census:

“I am troubled by allegations that one or more individuals at the Bureau of the Census may have falsified input data for the monthly Current Population Survey. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses data from this survey to calculate national, state, and local employment and unemployment statistics. The private sector, as well as the Congress, relies on the accuracy and integrity of these statistics to make important economic decisions. A number of congressional committees, including the Joint Economic Committee, which I chair, and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will investigate these allegations of wrongdoing as well as their impact on the accuracy of BLS statistics released to the American people.”

“These serious allegations warrant scrutiny. The American people have a right to expect that the economic statistics produced by federal statistical agencies accurately reflect the actual state of the our economy—especially the number of Americans in the labor force, the number working, and the number seeking work, but unable to find it. Presidents, Members of Congress, and the Federal Reserve, as well as corporate executives and small entrepreneurs, use BLS statistics to help them make important decisions. They need to know that BLS statistics are true representations, not numbers “doctored” to further the immediate political objectives of one political party.”

“The public’s faith in the accuracy of federal economic statistics has long distinguished the United States from dictatorships, tyrannies, and banana republics. The trust the American people have invested in federal statistical agencies and the economic statistics they generate must continue to be warranted.”

“If these allegations are true, anyone who sought to “cook the books” must be ferreted out and punished so that the public’s faith in our institutions can be restored. We will work diligently to find the truth.”