Sen. John McCain has criticized the Census Bureau for buying ad time on Sunday’s Super Bowl — an event well known for its staggering advertising costs.
“While the census is very important to AZ, we shouldn’t be wasting $2.5 million taxpayer dollars to compete with ads for Doritos!” the Arizona Republican wrote via Twitter.
He also said: “The census happens every 10 years. Everybody knows it happens.” The outlay, he added, “is shameful.”
The $2.5 million expenditure is part of a projected $130 million census awareness budget, Politico reported.
The census officially began last month in rural Alaska, and most of the U.S. will receive their forms by mail the week of March 15, according to The Washington Post.
The ad campaign is designed to encourage people to mail back their census forms.
The Census Bureau’s ad purchase on Super Bowl Sunday includes two 30-second pregame spots and one 30-second ad during the third quarter, The Post reports. In addition, sportscaster James Brown will mention the census two or three times on the air.
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