Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, will call for a floor vote next Tuesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt over the White House’s desire to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
The development comes as President Trump has scheduled a Thursday afternoon news conference where White House sources told the Post he will announce that he will take executive action to include the question.
Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said Barr and Ross ignored congressional subpoenas in an attempt to “subvert the 2020 Census with the addition of a citizenship question meant only to deter minorities from participating and leading to an undercount in parts of the country.”
The Supreme Court last month temporary blocked including the question, saying the administration’s reasoning was “contrived.”
“Our Constitution is clear: the census must count the number of persons – all persons – residing in the United States,” Hoyer said in the statement. “That is the only way we can ensure that every community receives an equitable share of resources.”
Ross, who as Commerce secretary oversees the census, said the Justice Department wanted the question on the census to help it enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.



