Tester Statement on Trump Administration Plan to Cut Census Short, Undercount Montanans

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after reports that the U.S. Census Bureau is planning to end its constitutionally mandated effort to count Americans a month early:

“Any effort to cut short the 2020 Census is irresponsible, and will hurt hardworking Montana families. In Montana, rural counties, young folks and Native communities are severely undercounted, and this deliberate action is intended only to suppress their voices. If this plan moves forward, our state will lose big when it comes to support for local government, schools, and health care as well as our representation in Congress. The Census Bureau must reverse this reckless decision immediately.”

In 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated nearly five percent of Native Americans living on reservations and in Alaska Native villages weren’t included in the final Census count, and across the U.S. nearly four out of 10 households have yet to be counted.