According to CNBC, a proposed Trump administration change to the U.S. census that would exclude noncitizens without permanent resident status has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats and civil rights groups, who say it could alter congressional representation and federal funding. The rule, posted in September, would exclude millions of noncitizens without green cards, including people on student visas, those with temporary protected status, refugees and asylum seekers, and would also bar collection of race and ethnicity data from the census short-form questionnaire.

Opponents said the proposal could shift congressional power toward areas with fewer immigrants and reduce funding for programs such as education, healthcare, food assistance and emergency management. Meeta Anand, senior director of census and data equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the issue is likely to end up in litigation. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., called it an attack on democracy and said an accurate census is essential for equal representation and federal funding.

Supporters, including some congressional Republicans, argue that counting all U.S. residents encourages illegal immigration. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., has introduced legislation to reapportion congressional seats before the 2028 election while excluding noncitizens and adding a citizenship question to the 2030 census. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., has proposed similar legislation. The next U.S. census is scheduled for 2030, and the public can comment on the rule until Nov. 2.