Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), the House’s Ranking Member on the committee responsible for census issues, objected today to a Senate amendment introduced by two Republican Senators.
The amendment, proposed by Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT), would block funding to the Census Bureau if it failed to ask questions on citizenship and immigration status in the upcoming 2010 Census.
Rep. Issa, the ranking member for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, responded to a NewMajority question on the Senate amendment by saying that “denying money [to the census] is unthinkable.” He went on to justify his comment by saying that the census is a constitutional obligation, implying that the Vitter amendment could prevent that obligation from being fulfilled.
Issa, who admitted that his home state of California gets more congressmen than it deserved due to current census practices, argued that the constitution doesn’t differentiate between legal and illegal persons with regards to census figures, but did not say that this disqualified citizenship questions from being asked.
Instead, he agreed that there was “a valid reason” to obtain citizenship information from census participants, but defended his objections to a change to the 2010 census by saying that “what we don’t know can’t hurt us.”
Rep. Issa’s comments today put him at odds with fellow Republicans Vitter and Bennett. Issa’s views also conflict with those of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), a House colleague who sits on his committee, as Chaffetz recently introduced House legislation that mirrored the Senate amendment.
Senators Vitter and Bennett have touted their amendment as one that would ensure that congressional seats and federal funds would be distributed fairly.
“In the past, some states have included illegal immigrants during the census, resulting in the allocation of additional congressional seats. We shouldn’t let these states be rewarded for skirting our federal laws and this amendment would help stop this practice,” said Senator Vitter in a statement when his amendment was introduced.
Senator Vitter’s home state of Louisiana lost one seat during the 2000 round of apportionment, and one report suggests that the 2010 census figures will lead to the loss of one more. Sen. Bennett and Rep. Chaffetz’s state of Utah is expected to gain one seat after next year’s census, but some Utahans believe that the Census Bureau’s refusal to count overseas Mormon missionaries cost them an additional seat after the 2000 census.
Few have lined up to join Sen. Vitter, Sen. Bennett and Rep. Chaffetz in their efforts. Labor groups such as the SEIU have started campaigns to oppose the Senate amendment, and even those who support the principle of asking questions on citizenship have labelled the amendment impractical.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, argued that the amendment was “a good idea” but came at least a year or two too late. “From a practical sense, they really can’t change the 2010 census form… the census starts in six months.”
Among the few to support the Vitter-Bennett amendment are Hispanic groups who were already calling for a boycott of the 2010 census.
Rev. Miguel Rivera, head of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, told the Wall Street Journal that “Senator Vitter’s amendment is indirectly helping us achieve and accomplish our purpose” by pressuring Democrats into overhauling immigration policy.
Offered for the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, the Vitter-Bennett amendment has stalled in the Senate since it was first introduced on October 7th. A week later, a vote for cloture on the amendment failed, and the next vote has yet to be scheduled.
10 responses so far
1 joedee1969 // Oct 27, 2009 at 6:43 am
If they are counted, they all will get health care paid for by all of us.Who can trust any of this?
http://americaspeaksink.com/2009/10/swine-flu-what-to-do/
2 MI-GOPer // Oct 27, 2009 at 7:46 am
Illegal and legal aliens, the homeless and others should be counted in the Census; counting illegals should HELP California, NY, Michigan and other states.
To me, it’s interesting how issues that concerned the Framers and are usually scoffed at today –like apportionment of Congressional districts, who gets counted and who doesn’t, big states vs smaller population states, etc– are evident in these 21st C issues. Madison and Adams & other Framers were concerned about nearly the same issues 220+ yrs ago.
I hope all the far Left trolls on this site take note for once… because it seems they often whine and try to dismiss what the Framers thought or intended should even matter when it comes to THEIR important liberal issue of the day.
3 ottovbvs // Oct 27, 2009 at 9:23 am
2 mi-goper // Oct 27, 2009 at 7:46 am
“I hope all the far Left trolls on this site take note for once… because it seems they often whine and try to dismiss what the Framers thought or intended should even matter when it comes to THEIR important liberal issue of the day.”
…….Like to give us a few examples……..or is this your strawman du jour
4 sinz54 // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:04 am
I still wonder if asking someone if they’re an illegal alien is constitutional.
By definition, an illegal alien is a criminal; he’s violated the law but gotten away with it so far.
So the Vitter amendment would essentially create a Government survey where they knock on every person’s door and ask them “Have you broken the law and gotten away with it so far?” I thought the Fifth Amendment prohibited the government from forcing you to incriminate yourself.
I honestly don’t see how the Federal Government can summarily ask all persons if they’re lawbreakers.
5 ottovbvs // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:18 am
sinz54 // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:04 am
…….This caught my eye in this morning’s WAPO……..apparently Kristol agrees with…….you, mi-goper, churl et al are the future of the GOP……..great news don’t you think……but for whom?
“The center of gravity, I suspect, will instead lie with individuals such as Palin and Huckabee and Gingrich, media personalities like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and activists at town halls and tea parties. Some will lament this — but over the past year, as those voices have dominated, conservatism has done pretty well in the body politic, and Republicans have narrowed the gap with Democrats in test ballots.
The lesson activists around the country will take from this is that a vigorous, even if somewhat irritated, conservative/populist message seems to be more effective in revitalizing the Republican Party than an attempt to accommodate the wishes of liberal media elites.
So the GOP is likely, for the foreseeable future, to be of a conservative mind and in a populist mood. In American politics, there are worse things to be. “
6 ottovbvs // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:20 am
……oops “apparently Kristol agrees with me”
7 sinz54 // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:54 am
ottovbs:
Please don’t hijack the discussion thread.
Your post belongs in a different discussion.
8 balconesfault // Oct 27, 2009 at 11:17 am
joedee1969: If they are counted, they all will get health care paid for by all of us.
Huh? The logical gap here is big enough for Rush Limbaugh to fall through.
I’m very glad I don’t waste time jumping to the links you hit-troll with constantly here … but I guess I’m also glad you must keep your most delusional writing over there, rather than filling pages here with it.
9 MI-GOPer // Oct 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm
sinz54 contemplates: “I still wonder if asking someone if they’re an illegal alien is constitutional. By definition, an illegal alien is a criminal; he’s violated the law but gotten away with it so far”.
Well, we all know that being an illegal alien in some cities is a protected status, sinz54 –even though it should be treated as a crime. Illegal aliens and others won’t just be the ones answering this question, though. In the post-census “tweaking” by the stats guys hired by activist groups, you can bet that groups will be pressing to have census numbers modified to account for a generous segment of illegal aliens who exist even in a theoretical construct or modeling program.
It’d be unlikely a sympathetic and empowering Obama Administration would try to thwart anything that helped Democrats gain $$$ or votes, legal or otherwise. And if it did get to litigation in Federal Court, given the federal judiciary’s treatment of census issues, I’m guessing there’ll be more illegal aliens “counted” than even exist in real life.
Unless they’re coming up here to get some free ObamaCare… lol.
10 MI-GOPer // Oct 27, 2009 at 2:31 pm
balcone advises: “… but I guess I’m also glad you must keep your most delusional writing over there, rather than filling pages here with it.”
If you could only follow your own advice, balcones. Delusional describes your usual commentary quality here perfectly.
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