The top Democrat on the House Oversight panel is calling for a hearing to examine the decision add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
“The Oversight Committee has jurisdiction over the Census, and I call on Chairman [Trey] Gowdy to hold hearings as soon as possible on this issue, as well as other troubling examples of politicization at the Census Bureau under President Trump,” Oversight ranking member Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said in a statement Tuesday.
Democrats and critics of the move believe adding a citizenship question will lead to underreporting or an otherwise inaccurate census count.
California, which leads the nation in illegal immigrants, is suing to stop the Commerce Department, which oversees the census, from listing the question.
Cummings sent a letter opposing the decision to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
“It is highly risky to ask untested questions in the context of the complete 2020 Census design,” Cummings said in the letter. “There is a great deal of evidence that even small changes in survey question order, wording, and instructions can have significant, and often unexpected, consequences for the rate, quality, and truthfulness of response. The effect of adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census on data quality and census accuracy, therefore, is completely unknown.”
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., responded to Cummings’ letter by requesting a briefing for lawmakers.
“In anticipation of the Census Bureau submitting their questions to Congress by the end of this month, Chairman Gowdy requested a Member briefing from the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau last week,” Gowdy spokespersn Amanda Gonzalez said. “The briefing will be open to all Oversight Committee Members.”
