(Russell Contreras, Rebecca Falconer – Axios) The Trump administration is moving forward with a field test of a citizenship question as part of early 2030 U.S. Census planning, raising fresh alarm that the question could make a comeback after being blocked in 2019. Why it matters: The change is part of a broader push to reshape how the U.S. counts its people, and reduce the practice of counting undocumented immigrants to determine congressional apportionment, Electoral College votes, and the distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal funds. 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. State of play: The U.S. Constitution requires the headcount of every U.S. resident every 10 years to apportion congressional districts.
Trump officials push citizenship question in 2030 census test survey
