Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford Proposes Plan To Lower Taxpayers Cost For U.S. Census

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is pushing for a more cost-effective way to carry out the U.S. Census in the future.

Senator Lankford said the 2020 Census cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $16 billion. He said that is too much and is looking ahead to 2030.

Lankford is proposing the Census Bureau and IRS team up to collect data together.

During a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee question and answer session, the senator said his recently passed "Taxpayers-Right-to-Know Act" could help resolve some duplication processes between the two agencies.

Lankford said he started talking about this idea in 2013, but said the administration at the time told him, "the IRS has a bad reputation. Census has a great reputation, and we don't want to co-mingle it."

But Lankford believes if the two agencies worked together and shared information in 2030 - it would not only be more efficient, but it would also save taxpayers money.

"So why wouldn't dual collection work? People are turning in online or in paper form, most of them online at this point with the IRS, to be able to add an additional 10 questions, self-reported," said Lankford during the session.

The Census Bureau Acting Director told Lankford he would want to test it to see how it works.

Lankford responded, “You have 9 and a half years to test it.”