Trump's Trials - Trump official acknowledges: Congress has final say on census

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Less than a week after President Trump said he has ordered a "new" census, the cabinet official who oversees the Census Bureau acknowledged Tuesday that Congress, not the president, has final say over the national head count that's used to reshape election maps and guide federal funding, NPR has exclusively learned. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports. Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's Trump's terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. We're going to be doing all sorts of things. Nobody ever thought was even possible. President Trump has brought back string to the White House. We can't just ignore the president's desires. This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. Each episode, we bring you NPR's coverage of President Trump acting on his own terms. And that means sometimes doing things that no American president has tried before. NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about.

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It's a huge indication to me of this kind of generation of people who don't know how to be open and vulnerable. I'm Brittany Luce, and on this episode of It's Been a Minute, I want to show you how reality TV is getting a little too real by revealing what it's really like to date today. Listen to the It's Been a Minute podcast today. I'm A Martinez. NPR has learned new details about how the Census Bureau is responding to President Trump's call for a new census. That call comes as Trump keeps pushing some states to use census data to redraw voting maps and help Republicans keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Here's NPR's Hansila Wong.

This week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, who oversees the Census Bureau, acknowledged that Congress, not Trump, has final say of the population count that's used to determine each state's share of seats in the House representatives. as according to three bureau employees who heard a town hall event with Lutnik and asked not to be named because they fear retaliation. Some House Republicans have recently proposed changing census law. Well, I was talking with President Trump on the phone. Including Representative Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia.

And I told him that my idea is to have a bill that immediately calls for a new census. Speaking with the right-wing media outlet, Real America's voice, Green also called for a new distribution of house seats and round of redistricting before next year's midterm election. Well, I'll speak for both of us. We love it. Last month, President Trump publicly backed Greenspill, along with Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. I know they've considered doing another census.

Who has said the Trump administration has thought about counting before the next scheduled tally in 2030. Because I think you have to do it once every 10 years. It doesn't mean you can't do it more than every 10 years under the Constitution. Any attempt at a census before 2030 would likely be challenged in court. Trump and other Republicans are calling to alter census. that the 14th Amendment says must include the, quote, whole number of persons in each state by excluding some or all residents without U.S. citizenship.

We won't hesitate to go back to court to protect representation for all communities. Sophia and Lynn Lakin of the American Civil Liberties Union says she'll be monitoring the Trump administration's next census moves. So far, the Commerce Department says the Census Bureau will use, quote, modern technology tools to analyze data in response to Trump's recent call. Hansi Luong, NPR News. And before we wrap up, a thank you to our NPR Plus supporters who hear each show without sponsored messages and, of course, who help protect independent journalism. If you are not a supporter yet, you can visit plus.npr.org to find out how you can get a ton of podcast perks across dozens of NPR shows, like bonus episodes, exclusive merchandise, and more.

Again, that's plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR. are.