On Monday, the Trump administration named another political appointee as a third deputy director to the U.S. Census Bureau. This appointment marks the third political appointee to join the bureau in less than two months – the first two appointments sparking an inquiry from the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General, the bureau’s internal watchdog group.
The Trump administration’s extraordinary move yet again raises questions about how far the president will go to politically undermine the 2020 census – a traditionally nonpartisan tool used to determine federal funding and electoral representation.
Every State, Every Vote Co-Chair Oregon Gov. Kate Brown released the following statement:
“Donald Trump will not stop until every tool of the federal government is bent to support his political fortunes. Yet again, Trump has gone after the integrity of the U.S. census, trying to undermine the right of every person in this country to be counted and fairly represented. The 2020 census is critical to the democratic foundation of this country and attempts to erode it are attempts to crack apart the bedrock of American values. This outrageous abuse of power will have dangerous and drastic effects that will be felt long after Trump is voted out of office.”
