MEDIA ADVISORY
WEDNESDAY: Oversight Committee to Receive
Briefing on 2020 Census and Census Bureau’s
Concerns with New Citizenship Question
Washington, D.C. (Apr. 10. 2018)-On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will receive a briefing from officials from the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau regarding questions planned for the 2020 Census, including a new question on citizenship that was recently added by the Trump Administration despite concerns raised by the Census Bureau itself.
On April 4, 2018, Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings and Committee Members Carolyn Maloney, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Wm. Lacy Clay, Gerald Connolly, and Jimmy Gomez sent a letter highlighting that the Trump Administration added the citizenship question despite concerns raised by the Census Bureau that the new question “could reduce the accuracy of the decennial census and increase costs for non-response follow up."
The Members requested all documents relating to these concerns by April 11, 2018, so they would have them prior to this briefing. Unfortunately, they have received no documents and no reply to their request.
Cummings also released a letter from six former Census Directors-nominated by Presidents Nixon, Carter, Clinton, and Obama and who oversaw the censuses in 1980, 2000, and 2010-strongly opposing the addition of the citizenship question.
Cummings had called for a public hearing on the addition of the citizenship question-as well as other troubling examples of politicization at the Census Bureau under President Trump-but Chairman Trey Gowdy scheduled this closed briefing.
WHO: Dr. Ron Jarmin, Acting Director, Census Bureau
Michael Walsh, Deputy General Counsel, Department of Commerce
WHEN: 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 11, 2018
WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
This briefing is closed to press, but Democrats may make themselves available for questions after the briefing concludes.
