Capitol Weekly: Census facing uncertainty, hostile president

| Posted in In the News

The census delay, like the numbers themselves, could affect other key operations like redistricting and the allocation of federal money. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) drafted the Fair and Accurate Census Bill, which would federally authorize nationwide census delays. Gomez argues that the census delay is necessary to make sure that federal money is distributed properly. Full Article

Spectrum: East LA District Has State's Lowest Census Response Rates

| Posted in In the News

“Actually, my parents were skeptical of doing it also. They thought, 'Oh, they’re gonna ask the immigration question.' But you know what? When it comes down to the pandemic and all that. . . I was telling them, 'OK so you want to get help but you weren’t counted on the census, so how is that gonna pan out?'” So far not well for the 34th congressional district, which is almost 20 points…

LAist: Census Door Knocking Cut A Month Short Amid Pressure To Finish Count

| Posted in In the News

During a hearing Wednesday before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Steven Dillingham — the bureau's director and a Trump appointee — gave lawmakers little insight into why the timing change was made.\Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., repeatedly asked Dillingham whether he supports the bureau's request to extend the census deadlines. But Dillingham did not answer the questions. Full Article

NPR: Census Door Knocking Cut A Month Short Amid Pressure To Finish Count

| Posted in In the News

During a hearing Wednesday before the House oversight committee, Steven Dillingham — the bureau's director and a Trump appointee — gave lawmakers little insight into why the timing change was made. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., repeatedly asked Dillingham whether he supports the bureau's request to extend the census deadlines. But Dillingham did not answer the…

AP: Census head wasn’t told about Trump district drawing order

| Posted in In the News

“We have, for planning purposes, made assessments and continue to do so,” Dillingham said after repeatedly being asked about the deadline extension.That answer drew a warning from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat from California, that Dillingham’s name “would go down in history, if this is the worst census conducted by the United States government.” “You will be responsible,” Gomez…

CNN: Census director says he wasn't involved in Trump citizenship order

| Posted in In the News

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, accused Dillingham of ceding control of the traditionally non-political census operation. "It seems like there's an obvious pattern that you are not in control of the Census Bureau, and the political appointees of this administration are," Gomez said. Dillingham responded that he is "not involved directly with the Hill negotiations on revising…

Talking Points Memo: Trump Has A Back-Up Plan For Rigging The Census To Screw Over Immigrant-Rich States

| Posted in In the News

“You know your name will go down in history if this is the worst census ever conducted by the United States government,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) told Dillingham. “You’re not going to run away and say that, ‘This was only because of the Trump administration,’ later on. You will be responsible. Your name will be associated with it.”Former Census directors who testified earlier in the…

Washington Post: House Democrats grill Census director on Trump order to exclude undocumented immigrants from apportionment

| Posted in In the News

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), the committee’s vice chair, asked Dillingham if he had discussed the extension with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Dillingham said he had not. Gomez asked three times if Dillingham still supported the bureau’s original request for a deadline extension. When Dillingham’s responses did not address the question, Gomez cut in. Full Article

Asian Journal: US lawmakers raise concerns, urge Duterte administration to repeal anti-terror legislation

| Posted in In the News

“Simply put, President Duterte’s new powers under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 are a threat to democracy and human rights in the Philippines because, despite the title, this legislation is not about terrorism,” Chu remarked. “It’s about silencing dissent. The true targets of this law are advocates for human rights, the environment, workers and indigenous communities.” Among the…

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