Thread by @hansilowang

President Biden's pick for the next commerce secretary to oversee the Census Bureau, Rhode Island Gov. @GinaRaimondo, is set to testify before @SenateCommerce Committee starting at 10 a.m. ET

Stream: commerce.senate.gov/2021/1/nominat…

More on Raimondo & the census:
npr.org/sections/biden…

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce 2. Gov. @GinaRaimondo's confirmation hearing has started:
commerce.senate.gov/2021/1/nominat…

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce 3. Outgoing chair of the @SenateCommerce Committee @SenatorWicker (R-Miss.) says he expects the Senate confirmation of Gov. @GinaRaimondo's as the next commerce secretary "will certainly occur."

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker 4. @SenatorCantwell (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on @SenateCommerce: "We don't need a politicization of the census. We need accurate data and information ... And I hope that we will have a less political process, but one that gives us an accurate census moving forward."

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell 5. Referencing NOAA, @SenatorCantwell says she hopes @GinaRaimondo will "speak out" in opposition of "any kind of censorship of scientific information ... and fully expects to hear from scientists on these important issues."

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell 6. There is no mention of the census in @GinaRaimondo's prepared opening statement at the @SenateCommerce hearing:
commerce.senate.gov/services/files…

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell 7. @SenatorCantwell: "Do you oppose any censorship of scientific data and information coming out of the Department of Commerce?"

@GinaRaimondo: "Yes, I do."

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell 8. @SenatorCantwell, incoming chair of the @SenateCommerce Committee: "And will you work with us to help restore the confidence in that science and data information and investment in it for the future?"

@GinaRaimondo: "Yes, I will."

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell 9. Asked by @SenBlumenthal (D-Conn.) @GinaRaimondo said she will commit to prioritizing the Census Bureau's American Community Survey as a source of information for closing the digital divide.

@GinaRaimondo @SenateCommerce @SenatorWicker @SenatorCantwell @SenBlumenthal 10. "I believe that we need to take the politics out of the census, and we need to rely on the experts" @GinaRaimondo said in response to the first question about the census at her confirmation hearing (asked by Sen. @brianschatz, a Democrat from Hawaii).

11. It took more than an hour for a question about the census to be asked:

https://twitter.com/hansilowang/status/1354102619359350790

12. @GinaRaimondo emphasizes she would listen to the experts at the Census Bureau and rely on their assessment and evaluation of the accuracy of 2020 census data when asked by @SenatorTester (D-Mont.) on how she would address concerns about data accuracy.

@GinaRaimondo @SenatorTester 13. "I commit to taking the politics out of census, relying on expertise and doing everything I can to rebuild people's trust in the census. It needs to be accurate," @GinaRaimondo tells @SenatorSinema (D-Ariz.).

@GinaRaimondo @SenatorTester @SenatorSinema 14. @GinaRaimondo's confirmation hearing as ended.

"I do not believe you will be serving as governor of the state of Rhode Island for very much longer," @SenatorWicker, outgoing chair of @SenateCommerce, told Raimondo.

@GinaRaimondo @SenatorTester @SenatorSinema @SenatorWicker @SenateCommerce 15. And here's my write-up of Gov. @GinaRaimondo’s remarks about the census during the @SenateCommerce confirmation hearing:
npr.org/2021/01/26/960…