There will not be a question asking about citizenship on the 2020 census, the Trump administration said Tuesday.
The decision comes less than a week after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the administration from adding the question, saying it did not provide an adequate explanation for the addition.
“We can confirm that the decision has been made to print the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire without a citizenship question, and that the printer has been instructed to begin the printing process,” Kate Bailey, a Justice Department attorney, wrote to lawyers for the plaintiffs challenging the addition of the question.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the Census Bureau, made the decision to add the citizenship question in 2018, even though Census Bureau officials advised against doing so.“I respect the Supreme Court but strongly disagree with its ruling regarding my decision to reinstate a citizenship question on the 2020 Census,” Ross said in a statement Tuesday. “The Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question. My focus, and that of the Bureau and the entire Department is to conduct a complete and accurate census.”
Remarkably, the US Supreme Court gave the Commerce Department another chance to come up with a good reason for the census question. That was a gift, but let’s face it — they knew it was a lie.
Trump responded with a clear misunderstanding of what the Supreme Court said….
That last sentence is weird. Is Trump claiming victory???
UPDATE: And now he just tweeted this:
The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE! We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2019
You know, I think they just lie to him. The census is already being printed.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, there is an email from the @TheJusticeDept yesterday confirming the #census forms are being printed without the citizenship question. Why? Because the Department told the Supreme Court yesterday was the deadline. You want them to lie again?#WednesdayWisdom https://t.co/gEbZAdS4xj
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 3, 2019
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to clarify the president’s tweet.