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U.S. NEWS Friday 15 July 2022
Bill attempts to prevent political meddling in U.S. head count

By MIKE SCHNEIDER The Trump administration
Associated Press named an unusually high
New questions on a cen- number of political ap-
sus form would have to be pointees without prior ex-
vetted by Congress and a perience in the statistical
U.S. Census Bureau direc- agency to top positions
tor couldn't be fired with- in the Census Bureau. The
out cause under proposed proposed legislation would
legislation that attempts limit the number of political
to prevent in the future appointees to three: the
the type of political inter- Census Bureau director
ference into the nation's and two others positions.
2020 head count that took All other positions would
place during the Trump ad- have to be filled by career
ministration. civil service workers, includ-
The legislation introduced ing the position of a deputy
this week in the U.S. House director, who would be re-
of Representatives would quired to have knowledge
put in place roadblocks or experience with the
against attempted political Census Bureau.
meddling in the once-a- This Sunday, April 5, 2020, file photo, shows an envelope containing a 2020 census letter mailed Even though many of the
decade census that deter- to a U.S. resident in Detroit. Trump administration's polit-
mines how many congres- Associated Press ical efforts ultimately failed,
sional seats each state gets some advocates believe
and the distribution of $1.5 administration unsuccess- lation figures used for divvy- Hispanic whites. they did have an impact,
trillion in federal spending fully tried to add a citizen- ing up congressional seats The Trump administration with significantly larger un-
each year, according to ship question to the cen- among the states, also pushed to have the appor- dercounts of most racial
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, sus questionnaire, a move called the apportionment tionment numbers released and ethnic minorities in the
D-N.Y., the bill's sponsor. that advocates feared numbers. before President Donald 2020 census compared to
""The census is a foundation would scare off Hispanics Critics claimed the citizen- Trump left the White House the 2010 census.
of American democracy, and immigrants from par- ship question was inspired in January 2021, cutting The Black population in the
and it must be protected ticipating, whether they by a Republican redistrict- short the schedule for field 2020 census had a net un-
from partisan interference," were in the country legally ing expert who believed us- operations that had been dercount of 3.3%, while it
said Maloney, the chair or not. The Supreme Court ing citizen voting-age pop- extended because of the was almost 5% for Hispanics
of the House Committee blocked the question. ulation instead of the total pandemic. The bill would and 5.6% for American In-
on Oversight and Reform, The Trump administration population for the purpose vest the Census Bureau di- dians and Native Alaskans
which was holding a hear- also unsuccessfully tried of redrawing of congressio- rector with all technical, living on reservations. Those
ing on the bill Thursday. to get the Census Bureau nal and legislative districts operational and statistical identifying as some other
In the years leading up to to exclude people in the could be advantageous decisions for the once-a- race had a net undercount
the 2020 census, the Trump country illegally from popu- to Republicans and non- decade census. of 4.3%.q

Planners break ground for new Gulf War memorial in DC

By ASHRAF KHALIL authorizing the memorial's meant to evoke the sand
Associated Press construction. He called the dunes of the desert battle-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Over conflict "an important mo- ground.
30 years after a U.S.-led in- ment in our nation's tradi- Admiral Christopher Grady,
ternational military coali- tion of fighting tyranny." vice chairman of the Joint
tion expelled occupying Scott Stump, CEO of the Chiefs of Staff, called it a
Iraqi troops from Kuwait, memorial association, re- fitting tribute to the 299 U.S.
planners have broken called years of "toil, strug- soldiers who died during
ground on the long-sim- gle pain, heartache, ups the conflict.
mering plans for a Gulf War and downs," with fundrais- "It was those in uniform and
memorial. ing challenges and mul- all those who supported
Hundreds gathered Thurs- tiple design revisions. them that we remember
day morning for a ground- "We were told that there today," he said.
breaking ceremony at the weren't enough organiza- Grady also cited the Gulf
corner of Constitution and tions that were interested in War as a lasting example of
23rd streets, where the our message," Stump said. international cooperation
memorial will be located. When completed, Stump and partnership among Scott C. Stump, left, President of the National Desert Storm Me-
Organizers have pushed said he expects the me- nations to defend Kuwait's morial Association, Salem Abdullah, third from left, Kuwait am-
to create the memorial for morial to attract millions of sovereignty. bassador to the United States, Gulf War veterans, and invitees
years, after the concept visitors to a prime location "This is one of our competi- participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new National
Desert Storm and Desert Storm Memorial Thursday, July 14, 2022
was approved by Congress near both the Lincoln Me- tive advantages — the on the National Mall in Washington.
in 2014. morial and Vietnam Veter- friends that we have but Associated Press
"We're here because we ans' Memorial. others don't," he said.
all agree that honoring Known as the National Des- The plan has come togeth- "From the people of Kuwait Al-Sabah on Thursday. Al-
these American warriors is ert Storm and Desert Shield er with the active involve- to the United States: thank Sabah called the memorial
a worthy cause," said Sen. Memorial, the monument ment of the Kuwaiti gov- you, thank you, thank "a token of gratitude to the
John Boozman, R-Ark., who will feature a circular open- ernment, which donated you," said long-serving Ku- noble soldiers who helped
co-authored the legislation air design with features $10 million to the effort. waiti ambassador Salem liberate my country."q