The Trump administration is attempting to stifle a complete count on the 2020 Census and suppress historically undercounted groups. Last week, President Trump announced he would exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted, and this week, the Census Bureau announced it will be cutting short its counting efforts by 30 days. These last-minute changes could significantly harm historically undercounted and underfunded communities and result in an inaccurate Census count.
A complete and accurate count is vital to ensuring fair and equal representation and distribution of federal funding for the next decade.
Democratic governors across the country spoke out against the abrupt changes to the 2020 Census:
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: “What’s at stake: money ($1.2 trillion in federal funding) and power (Congressional seats). I remain committed to making sure that every Oregonian is counted and represented in the Census.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom: “Counting every person in our country through the Census is a principle so foundational that it is written into our Constitution. This latest action by the administration to exclude undocumented immigrants when determining representation in Congress, rooted in racism and xenophobia, is a blatant attack on our institutions and our neighbors.
“In California, we will not back down from our historic work to achieve a fair and accurate Census count. To all Californians, including members of our immigrant communities, know that this is your home, and it is your right to be counted here.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: “When nearly 4 out of 10 American households are still uncounted, a surprise decision to cut the Census count short in the middle of a pandemic is unpatriotic, illogical and immoral.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “These last-minute, under-the-cover-of-darkness changes to the constitutionally mandated count of every person living in Michigan and the U.S. threaten the accuracy of population numbers used to determine the distribution of political representation and federal funding for the next decade.
“Cutting short operations by a month will seriously impact the ability of the US Census Bureau to deliver an accurate and complete count, and in turn hurt American families everywhere. This is a blatant attempt by the Trump Administration to exclude people of color, immigrants, renters, rural residents, and other members of historically undercounted groups from being counted in the Census.”
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock: “Today, an estimated 525,000 Montanans have not been counted in the 2020 Census. If the Census Bureau continues to move the goal posts of the decennial count, we fear entire communities in Montana will go uncounted and therefore unrepresented in our democracy. These communities rely on an accurate Census to provide critical funding for schools, health care and highways. Without an accurate count, the fabric of Montana will be detrimentally impacted for at least the next 10 years.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy: “The Census Bureau will be ending its door-to-door efforts one month earlier than originally planned. We need you to make sure you are counted. NOW. An accurate count is critical to protect aid for our schools, health care facilities, and communities.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “The Census gives New Yorkers the chance to profoundly affect our state’s future, and since federal funding and representation in Congress are determined by the Census count, it’s absolutely critical that every New Yorker is counted and that residents are informed that Census responses, regardless of the respondents’ immigration or citizenship status, are confidential, safe and secure.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf: “Excluding any resident from the Census runs counter to the Constitutional mandate to ‘count every person in the US.’ The resulting undercounting of the actual population of many communities will drastically decrease their allocation of federal dollars for critical services including education, transportation, healthcare and more. This in turn will severely impact all – citizens and non-citizens – who reside in these communities for the next decade.”
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee: “This is brazenly unconstitutional and a blatant effort to disenfranchise residents for President Trump’s own benefit.”
Read more about how Democratic governors are fighting for an accurate Census count and fair representation for every community at EveryStateEveryVote.com.
