FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2018
Hawley: McCaskill Sides with California, Opposes Adding Citizenship Question to Census
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced it would put a question about citizenship status back on the 2020 Census. Liberal activists across the country have responded hysterically, demanding the question be removed. Senator McCaskill joined these liberal activists in opposing the question.
Attorney General Josh Hawley released the following statement:
“Putting the citizenship question back on the Census is common sense. The Census is used to determine representation in Congress and federal assistance for states, including funding for Medicaid and transportation. If there isn’t an accurate count of our citizen population, then Missouri could lose millions of dollars to coastal states like California and New York.
“True to form, Senator McCaskill is siding with California in opposing the addition of the citizenship question to the Census. Every time it matters, McCaskill sides against the people of Missouri. She will support the interests of any other group—Hollywood elites, Washington insiders, and even non-citizen criminals—before fighting for her own constituents.”
BACKGROUND:
McCaskill Joined California Politicians In Opposing Adding A Citizenship Question On The Census
- VIDEO: McCaskill Said She Wished She Had A Good Answer On How To Stop The Census Bureau From Adding A Citizenship Question To the Census, And Referenced California’s Lawsuit Calling The Move Unconstitutional. “MCCASKILL: (reading question): ‘The Census Bureau plans on asking a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Population scientists oppose this addition as it prevents a fair and accurate census. What do you plan to do to block this question from being added.’ MCCASKILL: (answer) ‘I wish I had a good answer for you – wherever you are. We have no power to block it. The only way we could block it is if we passed emergency legislation to block it and there’s no way we’re going to get folks to do that. I do think there’s going to be litigation over it. Yeah, California filed suit saying that it was unconstitutional because it was depressing the count. It is I believe blatantly partisan. I do believe they’re trying to depress the count of Hispanic voters in this country because people are worried that somehow disclosing whether they’re a citizen or not would mean whether or not they could be deported or whether members of their family could be deported. So it is unfortunate and I do think it is a brazen political move on the part of the Commerce Committee, uh Commerce Department who is actually the department that runs the census. Yeah DOJ requested it but Wilbur Ross has to make the decision. It’s the Secretary of Commerce that has the say they’re the ones that actually run the census. So DOJ requested it but they could have easily said no.’” (Claire McCaskill, Remarks At A Student Forum In Springfield, MO, 3/27/18)
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Is Suing The Trump Administration Over Its Decision To Add A Citizenship Question To The 2020 Census. “California’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census, claiming the action is unlawful and ‘will directly impede’ efforts to obtain an accurate population count. An undercount for California in the upcoming census could result in the nation’s most populous state losing a congressional seat and might jeopardize billions of dollars in federal funding for health care, transportation and education, state officials said. Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, said in a press conference Tuesday the action was ‘another reckless decision’ by the Trump administration and ‘threatens not just immigrant families in our state but all of us in the state of California.’” (Jeff Daniels, “California Sues Trump Administration For ‘Reckless’ Decision To Add Census Citizenship Question,” CNBC, 3/27/18
- McCaskill Joined California Senator Kamala Harris In Calling On The Secretary Of Commerce To Testify Over The Decision To Add The Question. “Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are urging Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to hold a hearing on the census in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Tom Carper, D-Del., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., sent a letter to Johnson on Friday asking him to schedule a hearing ‘at the soonest time possible.’” (Melissa Quinn, “Senate Democrats Call For Wilbur Ross To Testify On Census Citizenship Question,” The Washington Examiner, 3/30/18)
