Comment Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Senator Patrick Leahy On The U.S. District Court's Ruling That Commerce Secretary Ross Violated Statute By Adding Census Question On Citizenship

Statement

I applaud the District Court decision, which affirms that Secretary Ross violated procedure in a politically motivated attempt to add an untested citizenship question, doing so extremely late in the census cycle. Secretary Ross also misled Congress -- and misled me -- claiming that the Justice Department was "the one" who initiated the request, when it began with the Secretary himself. The addition of this question would increase costs for an already over budget decennial census. Further, the question would depress turnout and strike fear in communities that this administration has actively sought to marginalize.

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