SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today issued the following statement in light of the Trump Administration’s new unlawful attack on a complete and accurate census count:

“President Trump already lost in the Supreme Court trying to sabotage a complete and accurate census count. This latest attempt is even more flawed and transparent,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Is anyone surprised that the President has proposed yet another unlawful act by his administration? Get used to it. This is the way it’ll be, on steroids, until the end of his Presidency. He’s gambling with other people’s money — in this case, the taxpayers’ — so he doesn’t care. We care. The Census is not a toy, Mr. President. We’ll do what we must.”

This latest attack on the census comes after a coalition of attorneys general, including California, secured a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking the path forward for President’s Trump’s unlawful citizenship question, in which the court held that the addition of the question was pretextual, as well as arbitrary and capricious.

About the Census

Every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution requires a census, a count of the nation’s entire population. The results of the census determine state representation in congress as well as the distribution of crucial federal funding. Billions of dollars that California receives in federal funding annually to fund programs and services that support the health and well-being of our communities are at stake. California cannot afford an undercount — it is critical for everyone to be counted, regardless of immigration status. 

The California Census Office provides resources to make it easier for partners and stakeholders to help spread the message about the importance of participating in the 2020 Census to communities throughout California.

Census data is protected by law. Under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, census data is strictly confidential and can only be used for statistical purposes. Information provided cannot be used against residents by any government agency or court of law. For more than two hundred years, that’s the way it’s always been. More information about the Census Bureau’s protection of personal, identifiable information can be found here.