FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2020
Contact: Juan Ramiro Sarmiento
(785) 760-6567 | juan.sarmiento@younginvincibles.org

Statement on SCOTUS’ Census 2020 Decision

Washington, DC – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in favor of the Trump Administration to halt further census fieldwork and counting ahead of schedule. This decision comes as operations for the 2020 Census had been significantly disrupted as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

In response, Jesse Barba, Senior Director of External Affairs for Young Invincibles, released the following statement.

“The Supreme Court’s decision to end census counting more than two weeks early sets the stage for a historic undercount of low-income, immigrant, and communities of color – and dilute their political power. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for ending the census early – not ever, but particularly this year. This decision will have inevitable and long-lasting repercussions for millions of Americans across the nation.

We have seen this Administration abuse its power and disregard the Constitution – all at the expense of the long-term health of our democracy and institutions. Our decennial census count is a critically important part of our democracy. Without an accurate count, resources will not reach the communities and people who need them the most. The federal government has a constitutional obligation to count all people and do so accurately, especially in a global pandemic.

An inaccurate count could result in young people losing access to programs that make education and health care more affordable and accessible by impacting state and federal budgetary decisions. There are grave consequences from a major undercount: when states begin losing millions of dollars in federal funds, they will start cutting from vital social programs to make up the difference.

As Justice Sotomayor stated in her dissent: “The harms caused by rushing this year’s census count are irreparable.”

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