Ahead of President Trump’s apparent announcement on the census citizenship question later Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was unfazed by Trump’s legal efforts to get the question on the 2020 form.
“We’re printing the forms. We fully expect the census to go forward. The President’s effort to put the citizenship question on the census will continue to be challenged in court,” she said during her weekly press conference.
Pelosi on census: "we're printing the forms" pic.twitter.com/bYeyfKYraG
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 11, 2019
Trump is expected to announce an executive action to get the question on the census during a news conference Thursday evening. It is unclear if executive action could overrule the Supreme Court’s decision to block the Trump administration’s initial push to get the question on the census.
After the Supreme Court ruling, the Justice Department said it was backing down from the fight and sent the forms to the printer without the question. But Trump shook things up the next day when he tweeted the Justice Department and Commerce Department were working to get the question on the census.
Administration officials reportedly were not aware of Trump’s intention, sparking confusion across departments and sending Justice Department lawyer scrambling to find a legal path to appease Trump’s effort.
