Here's the thread for the @OversightDems hearing on the #2020Census efforts, with a particular eye on President Donald Trump's effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from apportionment results.

Hearing is now underway with @RepMaloney opening statement, she calls Trump's memorandum "unconstitutional...illegal...and disregards the precedent set with every other president starting with George Washington."

. @comerpress criticizes Dems for holding what he calls a political oversight hearing and backs the memorandum to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment.

This is a new one, Comer arguing that the Supreme Court's going to be intimidated by a House committee.

Former Census Bureau Director Vincent Barabba argues the memorandum may discourage census response among immigrants because it could create an incorrect fear their responses may be used against them.

Some audio issues appear to have come up at the hearing, making Eastman sound like a kidnapper making the ransom call in a mid-90s action movie.

Former Census Bureau Director Ken Prewitt says right now "COVID is in control" of the census process and Trump's actions may frustrate already troubled efforts to get a good #2020Census.

Chapman University John Eastman gives full-throated defense of Trump's memorandum, and waves away concerns that Trump's efforts may discourage #2020census response.

Eastman argues that the constitution's language of "people" is based on the understanding of the people being governed -- i.e. citizens. This kind of...elides the 3/5 compromise in looking at apportionment.

Former Census Bureau Director Robert Groves pointed out that the constitution actually does differentiate between "person" and "citizen" -- in discussing qualifications for the House, not apportionment.

Groves also argues that the Census Bureau should be allowed to conduct the census without interference and be given the requested delay in #2020census data deadlines.

The latest former Census Bureau Director John Thompson says he's "extremely concerned" Trump's memo may hurt #2020Census efforts, including discouraging response among hard-to-count groups.

In questions from Maloney, the four former Census Bureau directors say the memorandum would go against census practice and law.

In response to questions from Comer, Eastman reiterates his argument that citizenship should be distinguished from "person" in considering apportionment. Again, this is not in the text of the constitution or statute.

Eastman says counting undocumented immigrants in California is "diluting the votes of citizens in other places that have not encouraged such illegal immigration into their states." Also points out that GOP-controlled Fla. and Tex. would also lose seats.

We covered this issue a bit earlier this week here: https://www.rollcall.com/2020/07/28/trumps-census-memo-puts-some-republicans-in-catch-22/ About 4 dozen Reps and Senators come from the three states most likely to lose out as a result of the memorandum.

. @GerryConnolly says of the #2020Census memorandum "This kind of nativism this kind of bigotry, frankly, has no place in the carrying out of the census."

. @chiproytx asserts that jurisprudence is "split" on including undocumented immigrants in the #2020Census apportionment totals. To get there, Roy is including several dissents -- not affirmative decisions -- that argue in his favor.

Roy also argues that the Census should use ACS data (survey results) for apportionment purposes, based on the fact that the agency does statistical imputation on regular results. This would also appear to go against the SCOTUS decision barring statistical sampling.

There's actually a SCOTUS decision on point for this. In 2002, the court differentiated between statistical imputation and statistical sampling in Utah v. Evans -- finding that imputation was allowable. That was the difference between Utah or North Carolina getting a House seat.

. @JodyHice asserts that it may amount to "election interference" to include undocumented immigrants in apportionment and calls on the chair to end the "showboat" hearings about the #2020Census

. @RepMarkGreen appears to go farther than Trump's memorandum in his remarks, saying #2020Census should not include undocumented immigrants at all. He also asserts that Democrats are "attacking" the census process by resisting Trump's efforts.

In the latest death of expertise, ( @RadioFreeTom ) Green argues that the opinion of three former Census Bureau directors counts for "three out of 330 million" in how the #2020Census will be impacted by Trump's memorandum.