Equal Representation Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7109, the Equal Representation Act.

H.R. 7109 would mandate that the decennial Census include a citizenship question, and that the apportionment of U.S. Representatives be based solely on a count of American citizens. This is yet another attempt by House Republicans to advance their anti- immigrant political agenda by sabotaging the Census, which is required by the U.S. Constitution. This bill would deliberately undermine the Census's ability to reach chronically undercounted populations. The resulting impact would be to make future Censuses more costly and lead to inaccurate data that will have wide-ranging implications for Minnesota and our nation.

Accurate Census data is necessary for determining the number of U.S. House of Representatives seats and Electoral College votes allocated to each state, as well as the share of trillions of dollars in federal funding each state receives. For Minnesota, an inaccurate count could result in the loss of representation in Congress and less federal funding for essential services, causing unnecessary harm to our communities. This bill threatens the accuracy of the Census and diminishes public trust. It would lead to manipulation of election maps and the hindering of the fair allocation of federal resources.

I will always fight for an accurate Census that is consistent with our American values, and I will always work to ensure Minnesotans receives the federal funding, representation in Congress, and electoral votes they deserve.

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