In the Washington Post, Gupta Outlines How Trump is Trying to Sabotage the 2020 Census (Again)

Census and Data Equity News 08.4,20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tamika Turner, [email protected], 419.913.8088

WASHINGTON – In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights outlined how the Trump administration is once again trying to sabotage the 2020 Census to advance its anti-immigrant agenda and erase communities of color. Her piece appeared as the Census Bureau announced that they “will end field data collection by September 30, 2020.” Cutting the census short is Trump’s way to guarantee a massive undercount and capture an inaccurate and less diverse portrait of America. 

In the op-ed, Gupta also called on Congress to extend the headcount deadline. The House has already passed such a measure, and action is pending in the Senate. The House has already passed such a measure, but the Senate has yet failed to act.

“Rushing census operations, as the administration is attempting to do, ensures the bureau won’t count millions of people — especially those hit hardest by the pandemic. It will leave the country with inaccurate numbers that deprive communities of resources, political power and the federal assistance necessary to recover from the pandemic for the next 10 years,” wrote Gupta. “Denying the Census Bureau adequate time to navigate COVID-19 makes clear that the president wants to decide who counts and who does not in the United States. In the event that Trump does not serve a second term, cutting the census short would ensure that decisions about congressional apportionment are made under his presidency.” 

“The census is foundational to democracy,” Gupta continued, “No one, not even the president, should get away with undermining a complete and accurate count for partisan gain. Failure to complete the census well will fail all of America at a perilous moment. The 2020 Census must do what the Constitution demands: Count all people.” 

Gupta’s full op-ed can be read here. 

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.