Cárdenas: Including a Citizenship Question on the Census Would Hurt all Americans
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States adjudicated on the case of U.S. Department of Commerce v. New York prohibiting the Trump Administration from including a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) releases the following statement:
“Including a citizenship question on the 2020 census would hurt all Americans. I am pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to not allow this question to appear on the census. Every American should be counted regardless of his or her documentation status. A citizenship question on the census would deter non-citizen Americans from fulfilling their civic duty and participating in the census survey which in turn leads to undercounting or outright excluding entire communities. This affects representation and decreases federal resources in these communities who often rely on critical federal funding for schools, clinics and hospitals, and resources for first responders.
“Playing politics with something as important as the census is nothing short of irresponsible. President Trump and members of his party are more concerned with winning elections than governing and the American people which I believe is fundamentally unpatriotic. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, and misrepresentation in the census are all unethical tactics that allow politicians to choose their constituents not the other way around. The Census Bureau should be allowed to do its work without partisan influence from the White House. This decision is a win for America and our democracy.”
According to the Census Bureau's own estimates, about 6.5 million people would go uncounted.
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