Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has cosponsored the 2020 Census IDEA (Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy) Act, legislation to ensure the 2020 census is free from politicization and accurately reflects the American population. The bill would prohibit any late untested design changes or questions to the census, including questions regarding citizenship.
The constitutionally mandated census determines how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal and state funds are allocated, helping governments, non-profits and businesses serve their communities. It also determines how Congressional and local districts are drawn, one of the bedrock principles of our democracy.
“Now that Secretary Ross has announced the addition of citizenship question to the census, this bill has become vital,” Engel said.“The goal of the U.S. census is to count every person living in this country, regardless of immigration status, so the government can most effectively serve the people. Adding an untested question on citizenship will silence noncitizens, including those with visas, and no doubt suppress the census data. Thus, states like New York with larger immigrant populations will once again feel the pinch and lose critical federal dollars. It’s a blatant attempt by this Administration to undercount areas with large immigrant populations and we can’t allow that happen.
“Much like last year’s GOP tax scam, this is just another example of the Trump Administration directly punishing New York. Moves like these reek of political retribution and shouldn’t be tolerated at any level of government.”
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