Matt Lesser

Sen. Lesser Statement on the Supreme Court’s Decision
to Not Add a Citizenship Question to the 2020 Census

HARTFORD, CT – Today, state Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to not add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census:

“I’m pleased the Supreme Court has blocked – at least for the moment – the Trump Administration’s cynical attempt to manipulate the census to undercount millions of people,” said Sen. Lesser. “The Administration’s move could have huge effects on regular people, including on Connecticut’s budget. That’s why it was a no-brainer for me to join a friend-of-the-court brief in this case against the Administration’s outrageous position.”

Sen. Lesser joined 190 bipartisan state and local officials and municipalities across the nation who signed onto an amicus brief in opposition to adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

A citizenship question would have discouraged people from filling out the census, which would have had an adverse effect on both rural and urban communities across nation. The after-effects of discouraging many people from filling out the Census would have led to inaccurate Census data, costing municipalities millions of dollars in federal funding. This would have also resulted in reduced legislative representation in communities that need it the most.

Last year, Connecticut received over $10 billion in federal funding due to the census. This funding goes to vital programs like Head Start, Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, highway planning and construction and much more.