Trump's census citizenship question endeavor is a shambolic mess. It might easily get worse.
President Trump's shambolic "fight to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census is one he seems likely to lose," Politico says. Attorney General William Barr appears pretty upbeat about Trump's chances, however.
The soon-to-be-revealed "approach we're taking" will "provide a pathway for getting the question on the census," Barr predicted Monday. He's been "in constant discussion" with Trump since the Supreme Court blocked the citizenship question in June, saying the stated rationale seemed "contrived," Barr said. And Trump's "considering all the options," including an executive order.
A senior official told The Associated Press that Trump will likely issue a memorandum ordering the Commerce Department to add a citizenship question to the already printed census. "It was not clear what such an order would accomplish," The New York Times notes. "The Constitution makes Congress responsible for overseeing the census, not the president." Also, says HuffPost's Sam Levine, "there are existing court orders barring the question, and Trump can't just issue an edict wiping out such rulings."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, a group of plaintiffs asked a federal judge in New York on Monday to block the Justice Department's rare move to swap the entire legal team pursuing adding the citizenship question, saying the DOJ hasn't given a "satisfactory reason" for the switch. Bringing in a new legal team from the DOJ's consumer protection division to persuade three federal judges and the Supreme Court to change tack is widely seen as detrimental to Trump's effort.
Also Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told colleagues she'll "soon" schedule a full House vote on holding Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt for defying subpoenas that would "shed light on the real reason the administration added a citizenship question." Ironically, "Trump's continued insistence on adding the citizenship question increases the risk of additional disclosures about the White House's role in the effort," Politico reports, including perhaps "more details on Trump's own involvement."
-
‘My donation felt like a rejection of the day’s politics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump wants a weaker dollar but economists aren’t so sureTalking Points A weaker dollar can make imports more expensive but also boost gold
-
Political cartoons for February 3Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include empty seats, the worst of the worst of bunnies, and more
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
