The Census Bureau Is Overrun With Staffers From a MAGA Think Tank
The US Census is home to vast troves of sensitive data on nearly every person living in the country, which is used for apportioning and drawing congressional districts as well as allocating federal funding based on population sizes.
The Census Bureau has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that a significant portion of its staff are former employees of the MAGA think tank America First Policy Institute (AFPI). This development has raised concerns about the potential misuse of the bureau's sensitive data for political purposes, particularly in the upcoming midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
The report in question, which claimed thousands of noncitizens voted in the 2020 election, has been criticized for its faulty methodology and the apparent influence of AFPI members on the study. The involvement of AFPI members, who have deep ties to the Trump administration, in the Census Bureau's operations has been described as unprecedented and disrespectful to the institution.
This situation echoes the Trump administration's past efforts to undermine Census data to reshape elections. The bureau's data is crucial for apportioning congressional districts and allocating federal funding based on population sizes. Experts and current Census employees have expressed worry that the noncitizen voting report is the first step in potentially manipulating the bureau's data for political gain.
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