The Census Bureau is officially set to miss its Dec. 31 deadline for the first time ever.
On Wednesday, the Census Bureau said it will deliver a "complete and accurate state population count for apportionment in early 2021, as close to" the deadline of Dec. 31 "as possible." This will be the first time that the Dec. 31 deadline will be missed since Congress implemented it over four decades ago, The Associated Press reports.
"The delay suggests that the Census Bureau needs more time to ensure the accuracy of census numbers for all states," former congressional staffer Terri Ann Lowenthal explained to AP.
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.
The Census Bureau faced issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and had to suspend field operations earlier this year. Now, CNN writes the "key question" is whether the Census Bureau will deliver the tally before President Trump leaves office, as he has sought to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count used to allocate seats in Congress. The Supreme Court earlier this month blocked a challenge of this plan by Trump.
But "if the numbers are produced after Trump leaves office," CNN notes, "President-elect Joe Biden is not expected to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count." According to AP, internal documents previously showed that officials didn't expect the numbers would be ready until after Biden's inauguration.
-
Margaret Atwood’s ‘deliciously naughty’ memoirIn the Spotlight ‘Bean-spilling’ book by The Handmaid’s Tale author is ‘immensely readable’
-
Being a school crossing guard has become a deadly jobUnder the Radar At least 230 crossing guards have been hit by cars over the last decade
-
Crossword: November 4, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
