Top Democrat on House appropriations panels will fight to oppose Trump citizenship question on census

U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., who oversees spending for the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau, said Tuesday he will block funds to include a citizenship question being pushed by the Trump administration onto the 2020 census.

Serrano chairs the House Appropriations subcommittees on Commerce, Justice and Science, which regulates spending by the federal government. He warned of the costs to amend the census form, which is already being printed without the question.

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Chairman Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., conducts a House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Serrano said Tuesday he will oppose efforts by the Trump administration to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census survey. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

“It seems like the Trump Administration will stop at nothing in its efforts to undermine the completion of a fair and accurate 2020 Census," Serrano said in a statement. "I want to make one thing clear: I have no intention of allowing this flagrant waste of money."

The House passed a spending bill in June that included a provision to block the question from the Census Bureau's 2020 survey.

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the inclusion of the question last month, ruling the administration's explanation for it was insufficient. In response, the Justice Department said it will seek a new legal team to litigate the issue.

In its reasoning, the White House has said Americans have a right to know who is in the country without citizenship.

Critics argue the question will deter immigrants from taking part in the census, leading to an inaccurate count that could affect how federal resources are disbursed.

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Trump has said he will consider adding the question through an executive order.

House Democrats have indicated they will vote to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt over any failure to comply with subpoenas regarding the citizenship question.

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