Media Center

Americans expect and deserve elected representatives who put the interests of their constituents and the health of our democracy first – especially when both are threatened by a pandemic. But instead, the Senate Republicans’ long-overdue COVID-19 relief package undermines the accuracy of the 2020 census, gives corporations the immunity they’ve lobbied for, slashes weekly jobless aid, and short-changes our democracy all in one fell swoop. Senate foot-dragging on this relief package already allowed the eviction moratorium in the CARES Act to expire – likely adding disenfranchisement to the host of life-altering problems faced by thousands of newly-homeless Americans.

Today, Common Cause filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging President Trump’s July 21 memo ordering the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the apportionment of seats in Congress. In that memorandum, the President purported to exclude those undocumented immigrants from reapportionment for the first time in our nation’s history, and ordered the Department of Commerce to assist him in that effort, in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes. 

The U.S. Constitution enshrines a uniquely American invention: to conduct a Census each ten years to count every person living in the United States of America in order to determine representation in the Congress. Today, counting every person also ensured that $1.5 trillion in federal funding for critical resources like food assistance, medical supplies for COVID-19 recovery, youth programs, and affordable housing is also fairly distributed. Today, President Trump has issued a memorandum ordering the Census Bureau to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment base used to allocate congressional seats following the 2020 Census. 

Today, Common Cause called on Congress to increase funding for the Census Bureau and the states to tackle the unprecedented challenges of conducting the Census during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter also urges Congress to ensure Census Bureau funding is being used solely to compile critical data products and to thoroughly evaluate the Trump administration’s request to delay the Census data delivery deadline which will create significant problems for redistricting deadlines in numerous states. 

Today, Common Cause called on Congress to prioritize funding for key elements of our democracy in the next COVID-19 emergency supplemental appropriations bill (“CARES 2.0”). The letter urges every Member of Congress to designate sufficient funding in the stimulus package to secure essential pillars of our democracy threatened by the pandemic and to ensure proper safeguards are put into place to oversee government disbursement of trillions of dollars in stimulus funds. The elements highlighted in the letter include critical efforts to safeguard our elections, the Census, the U.S. Postal Service, access to broadband internet service, as well as local journalism and to fully staff and prioritize the CARES Act Congressional Oversight Commission.

It is time for every resident of the United States to make their voice heard in the 2020 Census. It is time to stand up and be counted, for your own benefit and for the benefit of your community. Today, every person residing in the United States is encouraged to take 10 minutes to fill out their census form and shape the future of communities for the next 10 years.