Today, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on the significant gaps in data collection which create barriers to effective and coordinated federal policy for the U.S. territories. Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) issued the following statement in response:

"Data gaps make it challenging to efficiently plan and implement policy. Inaccurate or unavailable data increases the risk of government waste. It also creates barriers for local communities from accessing critical federal programs and opportunities. Quality and robust data, on the other hand, enables policymakers and the government to carry out targeted programs and ensure that laws are carried out in the manner they were intended. Furthermore, it ensures that the local communities are represented when assessing the distribution of federal resources."

Background

There are major gaps in federal data collection for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). There are over 100 agencies, organizational units and programs in the U.S. federal statistical system that collect data across a wide range of activities such as population, labor participation, transportation, education, economic health, and many others. Data collection for the U.S. territories is less comprehensive than for U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with federal statistical products either excluding all or some of the U.S. territories. Even when statistical data is available for the U.S. territories, it may be outdated or inconsistently reported when compared to the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.  

In a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report titled U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Address Data Gaps, the GAO discovered significant gaps in the existing data. This is primarily because federal agencies do not include the U.S. territories in many statistical products. 

Even when a statistical product includes the U.S. territories, there are inconsistencies in reporting frequency. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau did not release much of its originally planned data on American Samoa, Guam and USVI from the 2020 Island Areas Census.

Today's hearing was an important step in uncovering the reasons for existing data gaps, to find comprehensive measures to close these gaps in a fiscally responsible manner and ensure data collection by relevant agencies is thoroughly conducted and reported. To learn more, click here.