The House Oversight and Reform Committee filed a lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross over the Trump administrations moves to add a citizenship question to the Census in 2020.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, announced the lawsuit on Tuesday and claimed the White House is engaging in “brazen obstruction of Congress.”
The lawsuit follows a House vote in July to hold Barr and Ross in contempt of Congress. The two issued a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling on her to postpone the vote because the documents and materials that were sought were protected, while the White House said the documents are covered by executive privilege, noted The Hill.
In her statement, Maloney said Ross and Barr have not provided any documents amid the subpoenas.
“Despite the committees extensive efforts at accommodations, Secretary Ross and Attorney General Barr have refused to provide these critical documents and communications,” House Democrats claimed in their court filing on Tuesday.
“The stakes for Congress and the American people could not be higher, nor the consequences of the ongoing injury more profound,” Democrats said in the lawsuit. “The 2020 Census will have at least 10 years of direct effect on the composition of the House by determining population counts, as well as on the methodology by which the House determines the apportionment of federal funds to the states. If there is maladministration of the 2020 Census, the effects will be felt for decades, and once complete, the damage to the Census cannot be undone.”
Neither the Commerce nor Justice departments have issued a comment following the lawsuit filing.
The Supreme Court in June blocked the CommerRead More – Source
