OC Reps Applaud Supreme Court Census Question Ruling

In a surprise ruling on the case of Department of Commerce v. New York, the U.S. Supreme Court today blocked the Trump Administration’s plan (at least, for now) to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. You can read more about the ruling in this Reuters story.

In a non-surprise, Orange County’s Congressional delegation is applauding the ruling (as more representatives make statements on the ruling, we’ll add them here):

Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana): 

“I applaud the Supreme Court for preventing the President from including his untested and politically motivated immigration citizenship question on the 2020 Census. This question does not add any practical benefit to the Census.

“In our country’s 244 years, no leaders have ever used the Census for this purpose. This would have been the first time in our country’s history that a citizenship question would have been asked.

“In the end, the Census is Constitutionally mandated. Ensuring we know exactly how many people are in the United States is imperative for allocating valuable resources and representation.”

Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Huntington Beach):

“In a victory for the founding principles of our Democracy, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s inclusion of a so-called citizenship question, a pretext for political tampering with the U.S. Census. We already know who in the United States is a citizen through administrative data. The real aim of the question was to advantage one party in elections at the expense of representation for Americans like my constituents of Vietnamese and Latino heritage in Orange County. The strategy also would have decimated access to federal funding for critical health care, housing, and infrastructure programs in the region.

“But the court did not shut the door on this strategy altogether. We must keep guard against any further efforts of political tampering, and exercise the necessary oversight of the census to ensure an accurate count of our population, as the framers envisioned.”

Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Garden Grove):

“I am pleased that the Supreme Court saw through the contrived story that the Trump Administration concocted to try to insert a citizenship question into the census, and sent it back to the Department of Commerce. However, I am disappointed that the ruling still allows the administration a future opportunity to achieve the same goal of discouraging participation by communities of color.

“The evidence is clear: the Trump Administration was seeking to deliberately undercount immigrants and foster distrust in the census, despite the constitutional demand that the census count all residents, including all citizens, legal residents, and non-citizens–all residents. Ensuring a fair census count is critical for every aspect of our lives, from the health of our democracy to the accuracy of government data. Even Chief Justice Roberts agreed that the Department of Commerce behaved improperly.

“Evidence from the GOP architect of the census citizenship question clearly showed that the Trump Administration’s goal from the start—in including the question—was to disenfranchise communities of color and gerrymander out their voice. The results of the census help allocate Congressional representation, electoral votes, government funding, and are essential to long-term economic planning. The census must be as accurate as possible. Everyone must be counted.”

Rep. Mike Levin (D-Dana Point):

“Today’s Supreme Court decision on the Trump Administration’s politically-motivated citizenship question is a win for all Americans who believe in fair and accurate representation. However, the administration could still attempt to add this misguided question to the census, and we must continue to speak out on behalf of roughly 6.5 million people in under-represented communities who could be undercounted. We also have a responsibility to encourage all of our neighbors to participate in the census, and I will continue to do that moving forward.”

Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Fullerton):

“I applaud the Supreme Court’s ruling to temporarily block the administration’s citizenship question on the 2020 Census. The Constitution mandates that a census be taken every 10 years, and it should be our goal to ensure that every individual in the United States is counted. The citizenship question was nothing more than an attempt by the President to depress the number of individuals and families who would complete the census.

“Rather than discouraging people, the President should be working to ensure the Census Bureau is completely funded, fully staffed, and has the resources needed for a strong marketing campaign to encourage participation. Our work does not stop here, I will continue to reach out to the communities in my district who have been undercounted and underserved so that they can receive the business investments and delivery of public services they need.”

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-La Palma)

“Today’s Supreme Court decision confirms what we already know. The Trump administration’s attempt to manipulate the census process is politically motivated and unnecessary. Adding a citizenship question to the census would discourage communities of color from participating in this constitutionally-mandated process, leading to an undercount.

“The census plays an integral role in how our government ensures fair representation in this country. The data collected by each census is not only used to draw congressional districts but also helps determine how different levels of government and businesses distribute resources. We must ensure that the census is conducted properly and that communities like the ones I represent fully participate so that they have a voice in our democracy.”