State of census citizenship question unclear

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that reports his administration had decided to print 2020 census forms without a controversial citizenship question were “incorrect, or, to state it differently, FAKE!” An attorney with the Department of Justice said Tuesday the federal government would begin printing the forms without the question after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked its inclusion last week. The court ruled the Department of Commerce added the question under an unconvincing pretext and said the Trump administration would need to present a different rationale for its inclusion.

The Census Bureau had initially planned to begin printing the survey this week. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement Tuesday that while he “strongly” disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision, he would work to “conduct a complete and accurate census.” The White House did not immediately comment on the president’s assertion Wednesday that “we are absolutely moving forward” with collecting citizenship data on the census.

The Trump administration has argued that a citizenship question would make it easier to enforce the Voting Rights Act. Multiple states challenged the plan, arguing it would result in an undercount of immigrants who might fear revealing their status to authorities.

Trump earlier floated the idea of delaying the census to give the administration time to appeal the decision, saying he asked the Commerce Department “to do whatever is necessary” to ensure the question was included.