Do Americans have a right to know who is living among them? The Trump Department of Justice says yes, but Democrats are revolting when it comes to the reinstatement of a simple question on citizenship in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census.

For The Federalist I explore the emerging controversy over this issue, which is critical because population count (including noncitizens) impacts (i) the apportionment of seats in the U.S. house, (ii) the relative power of each state in the electoral college, (iii) the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funds and (iv) the drawing of potentially every political district in the country.

I also touch on the broader lack of transparency on citizenship in government data, and why it is in the political class’s interest to shield the truth from Americans — truth that hurts its narrative and threatens its agenda.

I’ve summarized my piece in a shareable Twitter thread that begins below:

Trump DOJ wants to reinstate a basic question on citizenship in the census. In their immigration intransigence, Left is revolting. THREAD on the emerging controversy over a potential change affecting $bns of tax dollars and every leg district in America https://t.co/5bEDxJcwx4

— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) February 1, 2018

Read the whole thing here.