Gov. Mikie Sherrill is pushing back against a new Trump administration proposal that could change who is counted for congressional representation in the 2030 Census.
The proposal would count U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents for apportionment purposes while excluding undocumented immigrants and potentially some people who are in the country legally on temporary status. The Census Bureau has opened the proposal for public comment for 30 days.
Sherrill called the move another attempt by President Donald Trump to hurt New Jersey and accused the administration of turning a traditionally nonpartisan process into a political tool.
“Make no mistake, this is another attempt by Trump to hurt New Jersey,” Sherrill said, arguing that changing the way residents are counted could reduce the state’s political representation and its share of federal resources.
The stakes are significant because Census data helps determine how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also widely used in the distribution of federal funding and in redistricting decisions. Demography and civil-rights experts have warned that states and cities with large immigrant populations could lose political influence and resources if significant groups of residents are excluded from the count.
The proposal also revives a constitutional dispute that dates back to Trump’s first term.
The 14th Amendment says representatives are to be apportioned according to the “whole number of persons in each State.” Trump previously attempted to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, but the Supreme Court blocked that effort after finding that the administration’s stated rationale was not adequately supported.
This time, the administration is proposing an even broader change. In addition to excluding undocumented immigrants from the apportionment count, it is considering excluding some immigrants who are legally present but whose status is temporary. The proposal would also reconsider the collection of race and ethnicity information, data that has long been part of the national Census.
Sherrill linked the Census fight to a broader series of disputes between New Jersey and the Trump administration, including FEMA disaster funding, trade policy with Canada and the economic effects of the conflict with Iran.
She also argued that New Jersey already sends more tax revenue to Washington than it receives back in federal spending, making any potential loss of federal funding particularly significant for state taxpayers.
For now, no Census rules have changed. The administration’s proposal must still go through the federal rulemaking process and is expected to face legal challenges if adopted.
But for New Jersey, the issue goes beyond how a Census form is filled out.
It could ultimately affect how much political representation the state has in Washington and how much federal money flows back to its communities.
Sources: Reuters; U.S. Census Bureau; The Wall Street Journal; Axi; Governor Mikie Sherrill / X
By NJ RADAR Team