Rutgers scholar Stuart Shapiro, an expert on federal and state regulating powers, can comment on President Trump’s announcement of an executive order requiring federal agencies to provide the Commerce Department with data on U.S. residents’ citizenship status.

Shapiro said, “President Trump backed down last night and agreed to not include a question on U.S. citizenship on the 2020 Census. Instead, the administration is adopting a policy originally recommended by Census Bureau personnel when the issue was raised in 2017.  

“The Supreme Court decision last month left the president with little choice given previous statements by the administration (including tweets by the president), new evidence on the development of the citizenship question, and the printing schedule for the Census,” he continued.

Shapiro is a professor and associate dean of faculty at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Public Policy. He is a former policy analyst at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and previously worked at the Office of Management and Budget under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

For interviews, contact Megan Schumann at 848-445-1907 or [email protected]