"Any change that alters who gets counted can shift political power and resources across states. Driving the news: The plan that's part of a regulatory filing follows President Trump's August announcement that he had instructed the Commerce Department to work on a new census amid a White House push for red states to draw new congressional maps more favorable to Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms."
"Zoom in: The Brennan Center noted during the first Trump administration's push to require people to reveal their citizenship status in the census that the Constitution requires the count to include "every individual" in the U.S. - regardless of their age, race, gender, ethnicity or citizenship. Adding a citizenship question historically depressed response rates in immigrant communities and could lead to an undercount of populations critical to fair representation and funding formulas."
The U.S. Constitution requires a headcount of every U.S. resident every 10 years to apportion congressional districts. A regulatory filing follows President Trump's August instruction to the Commerce Department to work on a new census amid a White House push for red states to draw congressional maps more favorable to Republicans before the 2026 midterms. A current field test in Alabama and South Carolina uses the American Community Survey form, which already includes a citizenship question. Historically, adding a citizenship question depressed response rates in immigrant communities and could cause undercounts that alter representation and funding. Census professionals and Democratic officials warn that inclusion would reduce participation and deny communities resources.
Read at Axios
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