Speaker Julie Menin Submits Public Comment Pushing Back Against Trump Administration’s Proposed Changes to U.S. Census

 

NYC stands to lose millions of dollars in federal funding and representation at the federal level if proposed changes are enacted

In her comment, Speaker Menin underscores need to build trust at the community level to preserve accurate count

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin this week submitted a public comment urging against the Trump Administration’s recent proposal to overhaul the U.S. census. The proposed changes, which were announced on September 9, would change the way individuals are counted and what demographic information would be collected in the 2030 census—excluding non-citizens and non-permanent residents from the apportionment count and eliminating questions on race and ethnicity.

These changes could have drastic consequences at the federal level, jeopardizing millions of dollars in funding allocations for New York’s communities and putting the city at greater risk of losing congressional seats due to undercounting. The changes are also likely to discourage participation from NYC’s diverse communities by further exacerbating feelings of distrust, especially among historically undercounted communities. New York City in particular has high concentrations of hard-to-count populations, including people of color, limited English proficient communities, immigrants, low-income households, renters and young children.

“Conducted every ten years, the U.S. Census is a snapshot in time—with long-lasting consequences,” said Speaker Julie Menin. “Federal funding for the next decade for over 300 City programs, including essential services like schools, infrastructure, and public safety, is apportioned based on how many people are counted during just three months that make up the enumeration period. Excluding hundreds of thousands of undocumented individuals when they’re utilizing city resources means New York would receive hundreds of millions of dollars less in federal funding, year after year until the next count, than its residents actually need and deserve.”

In her official comment, Speaker Menin writes:

“The Census Bureau’s own analysis of the proposed rule is evidence enough of why it is a cruel and problematic proposal. We, the Council of the City of New York, are strongly opposed to this proposed rule. It will harm our city’s residents for at least a decade. It will unduly deprive the City and State of New York of vital resources. It is also unjust and discriminatory and runs counter to our city’s and our country’s values and the purpose of conducting the census. We, as a legislative body representing over 8 million people, value the immigrants who make our City great. We urge you to do the same by abandoning this proposed rule.”

The comment goes on to outline seven key arguments against the proposed changes:

•   The provisions of the U.S. Constitution pertaining to the decennial census require an enumeration of all persons, irrespective of citizenship or immigration status.
•    The legal-status question has never been part of the modern census and would compromise the accuracy of the census count.
•    The inclusion of a legal-status question will result in an undercount, and New York City will suffer a direct loss of federal funding as a result.
•   Using the three-month census enumeration period to determine a person’s place of residence distorts the overall count
•   The continuation of counting incarcerated people at the place of confinement perpetuates prison gerrymandering
•   Overreliance on tax records and other administrative documents will lead to an inaccurate count
•   Removal of race and ethnicity data will stymie research and weaken antidiscrimination law

The full public comment is posted here.

The public comment period is open through November 2—having been extended from the original October 13 deadline following widespread concern from community leaders and advocates across the country.

Earlier this month, the Speaker held a rally with New York State Attorney General Letitia James and the New York City Council Census Taskforce, where they announced a joint commitment to fight back against the rule and spoke to the importance of preserving an accurate count.