House Republican Leader John Boehner today issued the following statement on the public hearing of Robert Groves to be the Director of the Census before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs:

The Census is a constitutional exercise that is fundamental to our democracy and must not be influenced by partisan politics. I appreciate Mr. Groves' opening comments and his responses to direct questions to commit, under oath, that statistical sampling and statistical adjustment will not be a part of the 2010 Census nor will such practices be a part of the 2020 Census. However, our concerns about the Census potentially being tainted by political influence remain, and if Mr. Groves is confirmed, I look forward to regular reports from him to illustrate that the Census is free of partisan interference and manipulation.

I am also greatly concerned that the Census would enter into a national partnership with ACORN, an organization rife with internal corruption and that was responsible for multiple instances of vote fraud in the 2008 presidential election. Asking an organization like ACORN to help recruit the 1.4 million temporary workers that will go door-to-door is akin to inviting the fox into the henhouse. Corrupt organizations like ACORN should have no part in this process and, if Mr. Groves is confirmed, he should sever all ties between the Census and ACORN and its affiliated organizations.