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May 31, 2007
EDITORIAL

A year ago, the Bush administration decided to kill what is arguably the single most important survey on the effects of government programs on Americans' lives. In a rare and welcome reversal, the administration has heeded the protest of policy experts and Congress and has decided to continue the project, known as SIPP, or Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Conducted by the Census Bureau since 1984, the survey provides much of what policy makers and the public know about the success or failure of government efforts to address poverty, health insurance and the problems of working families and the disabled. It is especially useful in projecting the impact of proposed changes in government policy.

On welfare-to-work programs, the SIPP has identified why some people move successfully into jobs while others revert to chronic unemployment. Having a disabled child, for instance, is a big reason that many women can't hold a job. If the goal is to move more women into work, that suggests the need for appropriate child care. On health insurance coverage, the survey has tracked individuals over long periods of time, revealing a truer picture of the number of uninsured Americans and the causes of on-and-off coverage, information that is necessary to properly define the problem - and solve it.

Policy experts, in and out of government, worked to save the SIPP. They made the case that the administration's proposed replacement survey was untested and that even if it ultimately proved adequate, would not be ready anytime soon, thus creating an information void for several years.

Having realized how important the SIPP is, the administration must now secure its full funding. When the White House developed its budget for 2008, it was planning on ending the survey and did not allocate any funds for it. Lawmakers could add the $35 million that is needed, but the White House has threatened to veto spending that exceeds its recommended levels. The administration should officially modify its budget request to ensure that the SIPP is fully funded. The information is too valuable to forgo.