Conservative Action Project

February 5, 2019
Washington, D.C.

Conservatives support efforts by the Trump administration to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census. We urge the administration to actively appeal any efforts by leftist groups and others to have it removed.

Questions about citizenship have a long history on the U.S. Census, having appeared regularly from 1820 through 1950, since it was proposed by Thomas Jefferson in 1800. It also appears regularly on the American Community Survey (ACS), which is sent to one out of every 38 households on an annual basis.

Contrary to leftist claims, asking such a question will not result in a threat of deportation to respondents, or a downturn in census participation. The question is about citizenship—not legal status—and the Census Bureau is constrained by statute in sharing information about individual respondents. There is also no evidence that it will reduce the count among “had to count” populations. The ACS has asked a similar question for over a decade, which has not depressed participation; ironically, it has also not drawn any complaints from the left. Before that, the Long Form Census that preceded the ACS also asked it, without any erosion in participation.

Counting the number of citizens and non-citizens is critical for two reasons. First, it helps determine an accurate allocation of more than $800 billion in federal resources every year. Second, and more importantly, it assists in enforcing voting rights laws across the country—a policy goal the left has claimed for years it supports.

We also raise issue with the rising use of national injunctions by District courts, as was done in the most recent ruling related to the census question. These injunctions allow District courts sweeping power to bind the entire country, beyond the scope of their current jurisdiction. We echo the comments of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that they “appear inconsistent with longstanding limits on equitable relief and power of Article III courts. If their popularity continues, this court must address their legality.”

The judge’s ruling will, moreover, hand ever-increasing power to the administrative state, subtracting it from the executive power.

We urge the Trump administration to offer a full-throated defense of its citizenship question on the 2020 Census, and urge the Supreme Court to weigh in swiftly on the growing abuse of national injunctions by the District courts.


The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988)
Alfred S. Regnery
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Chairman, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund
The Honorable Colin A. Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring, Inc.
Noah Wall
Vice President of Advocacy
FreedomWorks
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Former Chairman
U.S. Census Monitoring Board
Myron Ebell
Director, Center for Energy and Environment
Competitive Enterprise Institute
The Honorable Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II
President
Senate Conservatives Fund
The Honorable Jim DeMint
Member, South Carolina
United States Senate (2005-2013)
Rachel Bovard
Policy Director
Senate Steering Committee (2014-2015)
Ed Corrigan
Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Executive Director, Senate Steering Committee (2003-2012)
Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund
William L. Walton
Chairman
CNP Action, Inc.
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
David Bozell
President
ForAmerica
Adam Brandon
President
FreedomWorks
The Honorable Bob McEwen
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Ohio
Matt Schlapp
Chairman
American Conservative Union (ACU)
Daniel Schneider
Executive Director
American Conservative Union (ACU)
Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Partner
Foley & Lardner LLP
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Chief Domestic Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1987-1988)
Tim Chapman
Executive Director
Heritage Action for America
Kenneth A. Klukowski, Esq.
General Counsel
American Civil Rights Union
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin (Ret.)
Executive Vice President
Family Research Council
Thomas Fitton
President
Judicial Watch, Inc.
The Honorable David McIntosh
President
Club for Growth
L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
David N. Bossie
President
Citizens United
Dan Weber
President
Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)
The Honorable Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values
The Honorable Charles J. Cooper
Assistant Attorney General, President Ronald Reagan
Cooper & Kirk, PLLC
Alan P. Dye
Partner
Webster, Chamberlain & Bean
Ron Robinson
President
Young America’s Foundation
Ellen Barrosse
Chairman
RNC Conservative Steering Committee
Jim Backlin
Vice President of Legislative Affairs
Christian Coalition of America
Rod D. Martin
Founder and CEO
The Martin Organization, Inc.
Sherri R. Martin
Executive Vice President
The Martin Organization, Inc.
Haley E. Martin
President
The Martin Foundation
Nicholas Stehle
Campaign for the American Future
Shawn A. Mitchell
Former National Chaplain
National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA)
Jerry Melvin
Former Dean
Florida House of Representatives
Ralph Benko
Principal
RalphBenko.com
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
CorsiNation.com
Susan A. Carleson
Chairman/CEO
American Civil Rights Union
Tim LeFever
Chairman
Capitol Resource Institute
Kay R. Daly
President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
Jenna Ellis
Director of Public Policy
James Dobson Family Institute
Rebecca Hagelin
Secretary
Council for National Policy
Bob Adams
President
Revive America PAC
Charlie Gerow
Vice Chairman
American Conservative Union
Rebekah Gantner
Executive Director
Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund
Ed Martin
President
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles
Joan Holt Lindsey
President
Lindsey Communications
Robert D. Thompson
Former Administrator
The Weyrich Lunch (1999-2016)
Richard D. Hayes
Attorney
Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP
Craig Dance
President / CEO
Champion Coach Inc.
Tim Wildmon
President
American Family Association
The Honorable George K. Rasley, Jr.
Managing Editor
ConservativeHQ.com
Andresen Blom
President
Hawaiian Values
Ron Pearson
Executive Director
Conservative Victory Fud
The Honorable Tom DeLay
Former Majority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Jake Hoffman
President & CEO
Rally Forge
Peter Thomas
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus
Charlie Copeland
President
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Honorable Penny Pullen
Former State Representative
Illinois General Assembly
Lew Uhler
President
National Tax Limitation Committee
Seton Motley
President
Less Government
Sal Russo
Co-Founder and Chief Strategist
Tea Party Express
The Honorable Mike Spence
Founding President
Conservative Republicans of California
Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness
Eric Georgatos
Principal
Trident Advisors
Allen Hebert
Chairman
American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston
Lee Beaman
CEO
Beaman Automotive Group
Richard Wright
CEO
AAndrews Consulting , LLC
Robert K. Fischer
Meeting Coordinator
Conservatives of Faith
Dr. Ron Seeley
Member
Council for National Policy
William Shaker
CEO
Washington Marketing Group
Jim Clymer
Vice President
Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund
Tim Macy
Chairman
Gun Owners of America
William W. Pascoe, III
Board Member
Tea Party Patriots Action
Roxanne Phillips
Member, Executive Committee
Council for National Policy
Jeff Hunt
Director
Centennial Institute
Kevin Freeman
Founder
NSIC Institute
James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association
Kelly Monroe Kullberg
President
America Conservancy
Mario Navarro da Costa
Director, Washington Bureau
Tradition, Family, Property
J. Christian Adams
President
Public Interest Legal Foundation
C. Preston Noell, III
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Willes K. Lee
President
National Federation of Republican Assemblies
Chad Connelly
President
Faith Wins
Floyd Brown
Chairman
America Fighting Back PAC
Curt Levey
President
Committee for Justice
The Honorable Mike Hill
Representative
Florida State House
Christopher Malagisi
Host
Conservative Book Club Podcast
Bob Carlstrom
President
The Carlstrom Group, LLC
Craig Shirley
Reagan Biographer
Presidential Historian
Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com
Rick Manning
President
Americans for Limited Government
Allen Roth
President
Secure America Now
Carolee Adams
President
Eagle Forum of New Jersey
The Honorable James C. Miller III
Budget Director for President Reagan
Joseph A. Morris
Attorney / Partner
Morris & De La Rosa
Benjamin R. Case
Chief Executive Officer
Focused On Fundraising
Caroline C. Lewis
Owner
Percipio Communications
The Honorable Michael R. Long
State Chairman
NYS Conservative Party
Amy Kremer
Chairman
Women for Trump
Mark Fitzgibbons
President of Corporate Affairs
American Target Advertising, Inc.
Anne Schlafly Cori
Chairman
Eagle Forum
Peggy Dau
Representative
Iran Alive
Ellen Grigsby
Director of Institutional Partnerships
Open Doors USA
Dr. Richard Rounsavelle
Trustee
Media Research Center
The Honorable Donald Hodel
Former Secretary of Energy, President Reagan
Former Secretary of Interior, President Reagan
Steve Berger
Pastor
Grace Chapel
Lisa Calvert
Christian speaker and teacher
Rabon-Calvert Int.
Carrie L. Lukas
President
Independent Women’s Forum
Heather R. Higgins
CEO
Independent Women’s Voice
Jeremy Cerone
CEO
EliteSafe Inc.
The Honorable Belden Bell
Legacy Co-Chair
The Heritage Foundation
The Honorable Somers White
President
Somers White Co. Inc.
Kathleen Patten
President & CEO
American Target Advertising
Penna Dexter
Co-host
Point of View Radio
Kent Glesener
President
Paradigm Construction & Engineering, Inc.
Christie Glesener
President
Shofar International Foundation
Jack Park
Conservative Activist and Donor
Taylor Gillespie
Administrative Assistant
SBPA

All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only.