Contact: Speaker’s Press Office,

202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after a federal judge from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump Administration from ending the 2020 Census a month early, which found it would cause irreparable harm by denying vulnerable communities federal funding and leading to an inaccurate apportionment that will violate their constitutional rights to political representation:

“The Census is a pillar of our democracy, enshrined by our Founders to ensure that all people in America are equally counted and represented.  This urgently-needed injunction is a victory for our Constitution and American Democracy, as it blocks the latest Trump attempt to silence the voices of vulnerable communities and cause traditionally undercounted communities to become even further under-represented, financially excluded and left behind.

“The Trump attempt to curtail the Census has been resoundingly rejected by experts, including in the Government Accountability Office, Commerce Department Inspector General and Census Scientific Advisory Committee, who all warn that rushing the count will result in an inaccurate Census that will deny vulnerable communities the representation and funds they are entitled to.  Specifically, Census Bureau officials have warned that curtailing the Census is ‘ludicrous’ and will result in ‘fatal data flaws that are unacceptable for a constitutionally mandated national activity.’

“This should not be a partisan issue.  Americans, regardless of party, risk having their states be robbed of millions of dollars in critical federal funding for education, job training and health care initiatives as a result of an undercount.

“The House of Representatives will continue to fight in the Courts and in the Congress to ensure that every person has a say in our American Democracy, and to ensure a fair and accurate Census as the Constitution and our American ideals demand.”

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