The latest White House briefing resulted in a media frenzy over President Donald Trump’s remarks. But among the highlights of the briefing, Trump said that he will ask for a delay in the 2020 Census.
CNN reports that Trump stated during the latest White House briefing that he will ask to delay the 2020 Census due to the pandemic. The President explained that he wants to make sure the Census is taken as safely and as accurately as possible. “During this difficult time, we’re also working to ensure that the 2020 Census is completed safely and accurately. We may be asking for an extension because, obviously, they can’t be doing very much right now. They wouldn’t even be allowed to do it. So the Census, we’re going to be asking for a delay, a major delay,” said Trump.
The President added that the Census Bureau will be asking Congress for a 120-day extension. However, Trump said that it is not enough.
At the same time, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairperson Carolyn Maloney released a statement saying that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross already announced the plans in a conference call. The Department of Commerce addressed the changes in the timeline and will be seeking “statutory relief” from Congress of the 120 additional days to collect the data from the Census.
The changes made in collecting census data would give officials more time to compile information that would be used to allocate the funds that every state needs including how many seats in Congress per state.
Meanwhile, Trump also addressed the current situation of the pandemic in the United States. The President announced that there was some progress made in terms of the numbers of new infections especially in hot spots like New York, the state with the highest number of cases. “Over the weekend, the number of daily infections remained flat, nationwide flat. Hospitalizations in hot spots like New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana. This is clear evidence that our aggressive strategy to combat the virus is working and that Americans are following the guidelines,” said Trump.
According to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Trump will later decide whether or not to reopen the United States for business by May 1st.