Trump has just denied the reporting from yesterday that his administration was dropping plans to put the citizenship question on the census:
The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE! We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2019
Trump says they are still moving forward with it.
But the reporting from yesterday was based on a memo from a DOJ lawyer:
A Justice Department lawyer said in a memo that the printer had been directed to start producing the forms without the citizenship question, which foes said was designed to intimidate illegal immigrants and other Latinos holding Green Cards from participating.
“We can confirm that the decision has been made to print the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire without a citizenship question, and that the printer has been instructed to begin the printing process,” Kate Bailey wrote to the lawyers for plaintiffs challenging the question.
So maybe Bailey is wrong and they are not producing forms yet?
Whatever just happened, it appears that Trump is still insisting that the question be on the census.
Stay tuned…