MA Will Be Shortchanged After Census Count Cut Short: Galvin

The Supreme Court's ruling clearing the way for the Trump Administration to abruptly end the U.S. Census count early "is going to shortchange Massachusetts," Secretary of State William Galvin said.

The court's Tuesday decision means counting will stop for the 2020 Census this week, blocking a lower court's decision that said the government had to see the counting through to Oct. 31, the originally scheduled end date.

The Trump administration earlier in the year said it would need an extension due to the coronavirus pandemic, but over the summer said it would end counting Sept. 30. The lower court's decision was all that was keeping the extension alive.

Now the Census count will end Thursday by phone or mail if postmarked by Oct. 15, and by Friday at 6 a.m. if online.

The Census Bureau this week said they have already counted 99.9 percent of U.S. households, including 99.9 percent in Massachusetts. Galvin said in a press conference last week that number was "truly absurd."

"I don’t know what [U.S. Commerce Secretary] Wilbur Ross is smoking, but it must be good," Galvin said.

After Tuesday's decision by the Supreme Court, Galvin told Politico there could be repercussions for the next decade.

"Allowing the Trump Administration to stop the count now will leave those residents uncounted for the next ten years," he said. "Certainly, the phrase 'stop the count' coming from this administration is a chilling one, as we head into November."

Census data is critical in determining federal funding and shaping congressional districts, as well as displaying important trends on a city and state level.

Lawmakers are worried an undercount may disproportionately be affecting people of color, potentially meaning less funding for already underserved communities for years to come.

The Massachusetts congressional delegation released a joint statement calling the news "distressing," saying there are still several cities in Massachusetts that are at risk of being undercounted.

"Undercounts in the 2020 Census would have profound and long-lasting consequences across the Commonwealth as our nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic," the lawmakers said. "In addition to outlining congressional districts, the decennial census is widely utilized in analyzing trends in health care, poverty, housing, race, and ethnicity. Lawmakers can properly target resources and funnel relief to communities with the greatest need only when everyone is counted."