I guess you could call it another Obama success -- and our success.
With the 2010 census nearly finished, the government said Tuesday it will save $1.6 billion in the cost of the U.S. population count because of strong public response and no major problems.
The cost of the census was originally budgeted at $14.7 billion, with emergency dollars set aside for additional outreach in cases such as a natural disaster, a flu epidemic or a major operational breakdown.
Because such problems were not extensive, the Census Bureau saved money, officials said. The agency, which is a part of the Commerce Department, also reduced costs due to a higher-than-expected mail response rate of 72 percent, as well as quick field work from census takers who visited homes of people who did not reply by mail.
Here's the downer.
The unused money will remain in the U.S. Treasury. Congress will determine how it is spent....NYT
