$300 Million Census Ad Budget

Robert Groves, head of the U.S. Census Bureau, testified Tuesday before a senate panel in defense of an advertising budget. The director has decided to spend $300 million to promote the decennial population count, a tradition that has occurred every ten years beginning with the first one in 1790 under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.

Groves defended the spending by saying interest in the census has declined, and ultimately money will be saved by promoting more people to mail in their forms. He cites the agencies attempt to limit wasteful spending.