Republicans are claiming “political interference” after census results produced numbers much different than estimates had suggested. Census results are important because they determine the apportionment of House seats, redistricting, and $1.5 trillion a year in federal funding.
“We write today with concerns about the apportionment count released by the Census Bureau, and whether the process which derived the count was fair, accurate, and independent from any White House interference,” wrote House Republicans in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, head of the Census Bureau.
“Given the extra time it took to complete the 2020 Census, including not meeting the statutory deadlines by months – we have questions about the methodology and the role the Biden White House may have played in releasing these numbers, especially as the results differ from valuation estimates released mere months ago in ways that benefit blue states over red states.”
For example, Texas was expected to gain 3 seats and New York was in danger of losing 2. Official census results show Texas gaining 2 seats and New York losing a single seat by a margin of less than 90 residents.
States to gain representation include:
- Texas (+2)
- Colorado (+1)
- Florida (+1)
- Montana (+1)
- North Carolina (+1)
- Oregano (+1)
States to lose representation include:
- California (-1)
- Illinois (-1)
- Michigan (-1)
- New York (-1)
- Ohio (-1)
- Pennsylvania (-1)
- West Virginia (-1)
Lawmakers go on to note that “several liberal states with sanctuary policies may have lost more congressional seats if illegal immigrants had not been included in the apportionment base.”
In fact, former President Donald Trump had attempted to exclude illegal aliens from the Census to secure accurate representation for American citizens. This policy was reversed by President Biden, thus diluting representation for legal citizens in the interest of illegal aliens.
Other factors thought to have affected the census results:
- Reliance on algorithms to impute population statistics
- Double-counting college students as living at home as well as on campus
- Poor turnout of Hispanics resulting from frustrations with the Trump Administration
- The coronavirus pandemic
When Republicans contacted the Census Bureau to ask questions, they were directed to speak with White House officials instead. As the letter notes, the Sec. of Commerce is legally responsible for reporting apportionment counts to the White House. “Referring our staff’s questions to the White House about the results produced the Census Bureau is entirely inappropriate, and raises questions about the level of White House involvement in the process,” wrote lawmakers.
House Republicans that signed the letter to Raimondo include: James Comer (KY), Jim Jordan (OH), Jody Hice (GA), Glenn Grothman (WI), Michael Cloud (TX), Ralph Norman (SC), Paul Gosar (AZ), Virginia Foxx (NC), Bob Gibbs (OH), Clay Higgins (LA), Fred Keller (PA), Andy Biggs (AZ), Andrew Clyde (GA), Scott Franklin (FL), Jake LaTurner (KS), Yvette Herrell (NM), and Byron Donalds (FL).
Sources:
Lower-than-expected state population totals stoke concerns about the 2020 Census