The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a new audit questions whether the 2010 census can stick to its $15 billion budget because of computer problems that are forcing substantial overtime work.
The report from the Commerce Department inspector general’s office was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. It says glitches with the computer system used to manage the door-to-door count caused a 40-hour backlog of work over two weeks.

The report notes that the Census Bureau has already notched more than $1.6 million in overtime costs, and says continuing shutdowns could put the count’s accuracy at risk if census data can’t be put into the system immediately.

Census Bureau director Robert Groves says he believes the agency will stay within its budget.


WHAT IS THE CENSUS?

The Constitution mandates a count of everyone living in the U.S. every 10 years. The data is used to apportion congressional seats and state legislative districts, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments annually and to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination and other federal laws.