Trump calls for major changes to the census amid GOP-redistricting effort
Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, that he had 'instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures.'
The census takes place every 10 years by law, and was last held in 2020. It is meant to provide a full accounting of everyone present in the United States, including people living in the U.S. without authorization. It is unclear if Trump is ordering a new Census to be conducted immediately, or if he is saying he wants to redesign the process ahead of the planned 2030 census.
The new Census, Trump wrote, would use the 'results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,' and would not count 'people who are in our Country illegally.'
The order is part of Trump's broader fight over redistricting. Typically, redistricting — the process that allocates congressional representation — follows a census. The census, which is mandated by Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, is used to determine how many seats in the House of Representatives each state receives, as well as the disbursement of billions of dollars in federal funding.
Trump has recently spearheaded an attempt by Texas Republicans to force a mid-decade redistricting effort that would consolidate Republican power in the state and likely add seats to the House that are guaranteed to be held by Republicans.
While Trump says Republicans are 'entitled' to five additional seats in Texas based on the strength of his showing there in the 2024 election, the redistricting attempt has set off a nationwide fight, with Democrats responding by threatening to redistrict in deep blue states, like California.
A census that excludes undocumented immigrants could shrink the congressional representation of some blue states, many of which have sizable undocumented populations. But it could reduce the caucuses of red states as well.
A Pew Research Center study in 2020 found that removing undocumented immigrants from the Census count would result in California, Florida and Texas — the three states with the largest undocumented populations — ending up with one less House seat than they would have had. Alabama, Minnesota and Ohio would each hold onto one seat they would have otherwise lost, according to the study.
By redoing the census, Trump seemingly believes he will be able to strengthen Republican power further, however. This is not the first time Trump has tried to change the count. During his first term in office, the Trump administration made repeated attempts to influence the 2020 Census, records obtained in a lawsuit by the nonpartisan legal organization The Brennan Center revealed, including an effort to remove undocumented people in the United States from the count.
The United States Supreme Court in 2019 struck down the Trump administration's plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census form sent to every U.S. household, arguing that the federal government had provided a 'contrived' reason for wanting the information. Trump lashed out at the court for the decision, writing that it was 'totally ridiculous' that the government 'cannot ask a basic question of Citizenship in a very expensive, detailed and important Census.'
'I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census,' he added. It ultimately went ahead.
The 2020 Census, which the Government Accountability Office found cost over $13 billion, was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Census Bureau announced in 2022 that the survey undercounted Hispanics, Blacks and other minority groups and overcounted Whites and Asians.
Any attempt by the Trump administration to conduct a new Census would be met with swift legal challenges, especially because the Constitution explicitly states the Census is to be made 'every subsequent term of ten years' and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution requires states count 'the whole number of persons in each State.'
That doesn't mean Trump won't attempt to conduct a new Census or that a protracted fight over a new Census couldn't happen, but because Congress codified the Census in the 1950s, it is likely the legislative body would need to be involved, too.
Trump has yet to nominate a candidate to lead the Census Bureau after Robert Santos, who had been nominated by former president Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2021, resigned from the position earlier this year. Ron S. Jarmin is currently the acting director of the Census Bureau.
Whether Trump can initiate an updated Census or not, he will be able to influence the 2030 Census even though his term ends in 2029. Because the process takes years to plan, the Census Bureau is required by federal law to submit the questions it plans to ask Americans two years in advance, well before Trump leaves office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump nominates CEA chair Stephen Miran to Federal Reserve Board
President Trump said Thursday that he would nominate Stephen Miran, current chair of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Miran will replace outgoing governor Adriana Kugler, who is set to step down on Friday. Miran's term will run until Jan. 31, 2026. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have chosen Dr. Stephen Miran, current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve in the just vacated seat on the Federal Reserve Board until January 31, 2026," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement," Trump continued. "Stephen has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, and served with distinction in my First Administration. He has been with me from the beginning of my Second Term, and his expertise in the World of Economics is unparalleled — He will do an outstanding job. Congratulations Stephen!" Miran served as an adviser of economic policy for the Treasury Department during Steven Mnuchin's tenure as Treasury Secretary during Trump's first administration. He was also a senior strategist at Hudson Bay Capital Management. Miran is credited as being one of the authors of Trump's tariff policy and a key architect of his economic agenda. He has also been linked with the push for a so-called Mar-a-Lago currency accord, based on a paper he wrote laying out various strategies for rebalancing US trade while working in the private sector. Kugler unexpectedly announced last week that she would step down from the Fed's Board of Governors, just under six months before her term was set to expire on Jan. 31, 2026. Kugler, who has served as a Fed governor since Sept. 13, 2023, will return to Georgetown University as a professor this fall. Miran's appointment will add not only a Trump administration official onto the Fed board, but also likely another member who is in favor of the central bank cutting interest rates as soon as its September policy meeting. Last week, Fed governors Chris Waller and Michelle Bowman both voted against the Fed's decision to keep interest rates unchanged in a range of 4.25%-4.50%. Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist for Capital Economics, said the president's decision to nominate Miran is a "welcome surprise," noting that while he doesn't always agree with Miran he is a "good pick" who should easily be confirmed by the Senate. Miran's confirmation is pending Senate approval, but with lawmakers currently on August recess, it's unclear how long that could take. The nomination hearing will be a priority for the Senate Banking Committee, but lawmakers aren't due back in session until September 9, which is just one week before the Fed's policy meeting on September 16 and 17. The tight timeline makes it unlikely Miran could be confirmed and sworn in by the meeting. Senator Tim Scott, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, called Miran "an accomplished economist" and said that he "looks forward to quickly considering his nomination in the Senate Banking Committee." While Miran is set to be on the Fed's board for only a few months, investors will be looking for any clues about what his nomination means for the president's eventual nomination for the next Fed Chair and his intentions for influencing monetary policy. President Trump will need to nominate someone to the Fed Board of Governors for a full 14-year term once the short-term Fed Governor position's term is up on January 31 next year. If Miran performs to Trump's liking it's possible he could be re-nominated to a full 14-year term. The president said he's narrowed down his choice for the next Fed Chair to three individuals. Bloomberg reported earlier on Thursday that Waller is emerging as the favorite to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair among Trump's advisers. The president said he also favors former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and current Director of the president's National Economic Council Kevin Hassett. Warsh has experience navigating the central bank as he served as a Fed governor from 2006 until 2011 and acted as former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke's liaison to Wall Street during the chaos of the 2008 financial crisis. Warsh is also a known figure to Trump, who interviewed him for the Fed chair post eight years ago before deciding to nominate Powell. Warsh has been critical of the Fed of late, saying that the central bank needs a regime change and that it's not just about the chairman, but a range of people. He's argued on Fox Business last month that the costs involved in renovating the Fed's headquarters represent one of several examples of how the Fed "has lost its way" and that the American people "need a reformer to fix" the institution and rebuild its credibility. When it comes to policy, Warsh has suggested that the Fed could look past inflation related to tariffs because they'd be a one-time increase. Hassett, meanwhile, already has a close relationship with Trump, given that he advises the president on economic policy and served in the first Trump administration. Hassett has said there's no reason why the Fed shouldn't cut rates now, something the president has repeatedly hammered the central bank to do. He has indicated he would accept the job of Fed Chair if Trump chooses him. This week he accused the central bank of injecting politics into its decision making during an appearance on Fox Business. Similar to Warsh, Hassett suggested Fed leadership has lost its way, noting that 'the job of the leadership is to drive a nonpartisan consensus of the board, and that's not what we're seeing right now.' He said the Fed board 'is going to have to change,' and that he favors going back to the era of Alan Greenspan— where the Fed chair had a large influence over policy decisions. 'The board is going to have to go back to the kind of … Alan Greenspan approach of driving consensus, having healthy debate,' said Hassett. The White House also hopes that Powell will decide to leave the Fed Board of Governors when his chairmanship is up next year in May 2026. That would open up a second seat that Trump can fill. Powell has not yet said whether he intends to do that; his term as a Fed governor is not up until 2028. If Powell does not vacate his seat, the open governor's seat could be the only opportunity the president has to put his stamp on a fresh face for Fed Chair. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trade expert predicts 200% surge in tariff-fraud crackdowns
As another round of tariffs kicked into gear on Thursday, trade expert Rennie Alston warned importers that regulators will be doubling down on ensuring that the growing list of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are properly paid. 'Today every importer is paying more tariffs than they did prior to 12:01am this morning -– it's challenging to stay abreast of them,' Alston, CEO of customs consultant Alston Group, told attendees at a supply chain summit hosted by Jarrett, a 3PL. Alston was referring to the latest slate of tariffs the administration announced last week that went into effect on Thursday. Along with those and previous tariffs, Alston said, has come a level of compliance scrutiny from the government – specifically the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) – that he has not seen before. 'What is new, over the last year, is direct communications from the Department of Justice on issues in which the [customs compliance] matter is referred from customs to the Department of Justice for immediate enforcement action.' Alston, a licensed customs broker and an advisor to the administration as a member of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, said that CPB is more closely scrutinizing import documents to check for accurate information on merchandise value, origin country, or whether importers are disguising the country of origin through transshipments. 'Circumvention of tariffs in my professional opinion will be the number one revenue generating penalty that supersedes valuation and record keeping [penalties], which had been the number one and two [penalty categories] over the last 20 years,' Alston said. 'I anticipate that Department of Justice activity is going to increase by 200% as a result of tariffs and the reaction of the trade community.' Kirti Reddy, a partner with the law firm Quarles & Brady, told FreightWaves earlier this year that the speed and size of the new taxes on America's trading partners would likely generate a higher number of cases prosecuted under the False Claims Act. 'Especially with the tariffs being so steep, companies and individuals might be inclined to figure out how they're going to meet their costs' by circumventing compliance, she said. One such evasion tactic 'evolving right before our eyes,' Alston said, is Modified Delivery Duty Paid, or MDDP – 'a blatant scam' from CBP's perspective, he said. 'It is where a company talks you into allowing someone else to be the importer of record, and the foreign supplier says, 'don't worry about the entry, I'll be the importer, you just keep buying from me and don't worry about what I declare to customs'.' This is fraud, Alson warned, emphasizing the responsibilities of all involved in the transaction no matter whose name was on the fraudulent declaration. Customs brokers can help importers understand the ramifications of misinterpretations on customs documents, he said, because CPB takes the position that such compliance errors are intentional. 'Understand that your actions are critical to your company's ability to sustain itself, because penalties could be far beyond the value of the merchandise.' Container rates unmoved by latest tariff deadline New rule on low-value imports raises cross-border trucking concerns 20 company reactions — good and bad — to Trump's tariff war Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post Trade expert predicts 200% surge in tariff-fraud crackdowns appeared first on FreightWaves. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Murdered Congressional intern's mom says Trump should take over Washington, DC
As President Donald Trump continues to rail against crime in the nation's capital, saying violence is out of control and that Washington, D.C., should be federalized, the mother of a Congressional intern gunned down in June told ABC News on Thursday that she agrees with the president. Since beginning his second term in the Oval Office, Trump has slammed local leaders, claiming they have not done enough to crack down on violent crime in the district. The president ramped up his criticism after a 19-year-old former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was left beaten and bloodied early Sunday during an attempted carjacking in northwest Washington, D.C. Trump said in a social media post that the incident showed that "crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control." The president also suggested that minors involved in such crimes should be prosecuted as adults, "starting at 14." "If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore," Trump said in his post. Two 15-year-old suspects were arrested in Sunday's assault of the former DOGE employee, identified in a police incident report as 19-year-old Edward Coristine, but investigators said up to eight other perpetrators remain at large. The carjacking assault came after two other high-profile violent attacks in Washington, D.C., over the past three months. On May 21, two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum, allegedly by a 31-year-old Illinois man shouting "free, free Palestine." An indictment against the suspect, charging him with federal hate crime and murder, was unsealed this week. On June 30, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old intern for Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., was fatally shot in northwest Washington, D.C., when he got caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting, according to police. No arrests have been made in the homicide. Tarpinian-Jachym's mother, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, told ABC News on Thursday that she believes that the laws in Washington, D.C., need a drastic overhaul to crack down on juvenile offenders and gang members caught committing violence. "As far as I'm concerned, if Trump feels that he needs to take it over until they [city leadership] can get their act together and start prosecuting these juveniles and these people to the fullest extent of the law and not slap their hands so they can go out and do it again and get into more violent crime as they age, I feel it's a good idea," said Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, who lives in Massachusetts. She added, "My son didn't deserve what happened to him. Nobody deserves that. He was shot. He wasn't the intended target." Washington, D.C., residents can expect to see an increase in federal law enforcement around the city starting as early as this week, a White House official told ABC News. The official stressed that operational details have yet to be finalized, but the White House is working with multiple agencies to use federal and local enforcement to monitor crime in the city. "Washington, D.C., is an amazing city, but it has sadly been plagued by petty and violent crime for far too long. President Trump is committed to making our Nation's capital safer and even more beautiful for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News. Despite Trump's claims that violent crime in the city has gotten out of hand, police statistics show that in the past two years violent crime in Washington, D.C., has fallen dramatically. "Compared to where it was two years ago, when it really peaked in 2023, it's down 50%," Jeff Asher, a national crime analyst, told ABC News on Thursday. Asher said that, statistically, violent crime in Washington, D.C., is back down to levels not seen since before the start of the pandemic in 2020. Overall, violent crime in Washington, D.C., and across the country skyrocketed during the pandemic as criminal courts shut down and jail populations were dramatically reduced in an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Homicides in Washington, D.C., rose from 166 in 2019 to 226 in 2021 and climbed to 274 in 2023, according to crime stats from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. In the first seven months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, overall violent crime has dropped 26%, homicides have fallen 12%, sexual assaults are down nearly 50%, assaults with a dangerous weapon have tumbled 20%, and robberies are down nearly 30%. Asher, a former crime analyst at the CIA and the New Orleans Police Department, said there has also been a 68% decline in carjackings in Washington, D.C., since 2023. Compared to the first seven months of 2024, carjackings in the city are down 37% this year, Asher said. MORE: 2 Israeli Embassy staffers killed in 'act of terror' in Washington, DC "That doesn't disprove that crime is an issue, just like it's an issue in a lot of cities where it's coming down, " Asher said. "But it's certainly not something that's getting worse; it's a problem that's improving." Despite the improving crime statistics, Trump told reporters on Wednesday that White House lawyers are looking into how to go about federalizing Washington, D.C. He said his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was working with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. A spokesperson for the mayor told ABC News they had no comment on Trump's threat to take over the city. MORE: US poised to see dramatic drop in homicides for 3rd straight year "We're considering it, yeah, because the crime is ridiculous," Trump said. "I could show you a chart comparing D.C. to other locations, and you're not going to want to see what it looks like. We want to have a great safe capital, and we're going to have it, and that includes cleanliness and includes other things. We have a capital that's very unsafe." The district has some autonomy under the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants residents the ability to manage affairs by electing a mayor and city council members. But final oversight of the district's laws and budget is left to Congress. In 2023, for example, the U.S. House of Representatives blocked two local bills from going into effect, including one that would have updated the district's criminal code. Trump does appear to have some legal power to direct the Metropolitan Police Department under the Home Rule Act, "whenever [he] determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist…" When asked about the falling crime statistics, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym told ABC News, "I don't believe in statistics because statistics can be skewed in any way." Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym noted that when her son was killed, Bowser said at a news conference that her son was the city's 84th homicide of the year. As of Thursday, homicides in the city had risen to 99. "That is our nation's capital; it should be the safest place in the world for anyone to go, in my opinion," Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym told ABC News. "And if they set the tone, then maybe these other Democratic cities and other people that live in these cities will start saying, 'Hey, we're sick of this crime, too.'"
