Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday announced legislation and an emergency hearing in response to President Trump’s Tuesday directive that his administration would seek to block undocumented immigrants from being counted in congressional apportionment.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, said the panel has invited Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, chief Census Bureau scientist John Abowd and three former bureau directors to an emergency hearing next Wednesday.
Trump’s directive contradicts previous statements from administration officials that they were never seeking to exclude immigrants from the census or from congressional apportionment, a statement from Maloney’s office said.
“This action directly violates the Constitution and the laws passed by Congress, and it appears to be a blatant attempt to politicize the 2020 Census, depress participation, and undermine its accuracy,” Maloney wrote in the invitation letters.
