By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Donald Trump and his allies are targeting the U.S. census, with a new proposal backed by Trump aiming to alter the electoral map significantly. This plan, championed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, would mandate a new census that only counts U.S. citizens, effectively excluding non-citizens from the apportionment process. This proposal, mirroring a previous Republican bill, is framed as a response to false claims of election rigging and is seen by critics as an unconstitutional attack on the electoral system. Such actions align with historical efforts by white supremacists, violating the Constitution’s requirement to count all residents for apportionment and potentially leading to a constitutional crisis.
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Trump backs a renewed push to rig the U.S. census by only counting citizens. This is a move that’s generating quite a bit of discussion, and for good reason. The census, as it currently stands, is about counting everyone who lives in the United States, regardless of citizenship. This count is then used for a whole host of critical things, from figuring out how many representatives each state gets in Congress to distributing federal funds for schools, hospitals, roads, and a whole lot more.
However, the idea of only counting citizens is a different story entirely. It’s a move that, at its core, is arguably unconstitutional. The Constitution clearly states the census is to count all people. This isn’t a new idea, either. There was a similar effort during the 2020 census, but it was blocked. The motivation behind this renewed push seems to be to sway the numbers in favor of certain political outcomes, specifically by altering the apportionment of congressional seats and potentially impacting the distribution of federal funds.
If this were to happen, there would be significant consequences. States with large populations of non-citizens, like Texas, California, Florida, and others, would likely lose congressional seats and electoral votes. That’s the immediate impact. But there are also broader implications. Local communities use census data to plan for infrastructure and allocate resources. A skewed count would throw those plans off, potentially hurting everyone who lives in these areas.
There’s a lot of speculation that the end goal is to manipulate redistricting to give one political party an advantage. By excluding non-citizens, certain areas might see their representation diluted, while others could gain, potentially shifting the balance of power in Congress. The Census is also not just about representation, it’s about funding. It’s about making sure that communities have the resources they need to thrive.
The fact that states like Texas and Florida would be negatively impacted raises a few questions. They are both large, heavily populated states with significant immigrant populations. Would the impact of this change hurt Republicans more than Democrats? It’s possible, depending on how the numbers shake out. The outcome is a lot less certain than some might imagine. The impact of this move could be a lot of uncertainty.
There’s also the practical side of things. How would you even determine who is a citizen? Would there be door-to-door investigations? This is a concern because the idea of a census that includes checking citizenship status could lead to a whole lot of disruption. It could also result in a lot of fear and uncertainty, particularly for immigrant communities.
It’s worth mentioning that the next census is scheduled for 2030. This push is likely to happen sooner than that, making the 2030 census a potential hotbed for political maneuvering. Given the fact that a former administration previously attempted to influence the count and the potential impact on the distribution of power and resources, it’s a topic that deserves careful attention. This is a complex issue with potentially wide-ranging consequences, and it’s definitely something to keep an eye on as the political landscape continues to evolve.