This fight isn’t over.
On Monday night, at 9:29 p.m., the Commerce Department announced that it will include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. Secretary Ross decided that a citizenship question would outweigh what he called the “limited potential adverse impacts.” This is the wrong decision and is certain to lay the groundwork for an inaccurate census count. The constitution requires the census to count everybody in the country, not just citizens. There is only one opportunity to conduct the decennial census. Its accuracy should not be put at risk with an untested, politically motivated question, and I will not sit quietly watching it happen.
Secretary Ross knows the result of his decision will be a flawed 2020 Census. Ultimately, his decision will lead to a flawed apportionment of Representatives, a more expensive population count (the 2010 Census cost almost $13 billion), diminished formula funding to states and localities, and poor planning decisions made by government, industry, and nonprofit organizations for a decade.
Last week, Secretary Ross testified before me and my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee. I asked Secretary Ross if inclusion of a citizenship question will improve the accuracy of the 2020 Census and he replied that it was something they were grappling with. I pointed out that four former census directors expressed concern over inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. Secretary Ross acknowledged that he had heard their views and from other former census directors who all thought it could have terrible consequences. He even dismissed the opposition of career officials at the Census Bureau. Ultimately, my concerns, as well as the concerns of the experts, fell on deaf ears.
This foolish decision will produce long-lasting negative effects. Immigrant communities, fearful of deportation because of the administration’s rhetoric, will be less likely to respond out of concern their information is not confidential. If our data is skewed, then our approaches to public health, infrastructure and other national issues will be faulty. An undercount will mean our neediest communities may not receive much needed care. Students who rely on the National School Lunch Program may go without lunch, affecting their health and academic goals. In the end, a citizenship question will not produce an accurate census. It will create an inaccurate count, instill fear in our communities, and undermine our ability to help people.
This fight isn’t over, and I intend to explore all available avenues, including through the House Appropriations Committee, towards stopping the inclusion of the citizenship question. We don’t need a citizenship question in the 2020 Census; what we need is an accurate census count.
Grace Meng is a Democratic member of Congress representing New York’s 6th district in Queens.
