President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's nominee to lead the Census Bureau said Wednesday that he believes the courts will have the final say on whether the survey will include a question about citizenship, and declined to weigh in on the matter himself.

"I have no plans to voice an opinion on that question. I think it would not be advisable in my position if I’m confirmed as director of the Census Bureau," Steven Dillingham told members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

Dillingham noted that, if confirmed, he would be responsible to administer the census, which is conducted every 10 years, in a matter consistent with court rulings.

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"So it would be problematic, I think, to take a public position on that question," he said.

The Trump administration announced in March that it would include a question on the decennial survey that would ask whether respondents are American citizens. The question has not appeared on a census questionnaire since 1950.

Democrats and civil rights advocates warned that the question, paired with the Trump administration's strict immigration policies and harsh rhetoric, could cause undocumented immigrants to ignore the survey, leading to an underestimation of the population in various parts of the country.

Figures from the census are used to allocate federal money through programs across the government.

When asked about the potential for the question to suppress response, Dillingham said the bureau “has had its best and brightest look at this."

"They have identified the possibility that there could be changes in the responses,” he said.

Democratic attorneys general in several states have sued the Trump administration in an effort to block the question from going onto the 2020 Census.