A Trump Tax Break Kicked Off a Rush to Redraw U.S. Census Maps

In hockey, it’s the equivalent of moving the red line.

Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Pennsylvania officials and a union leader, lobbied Donald Trump’s administration to expand an area earmarked for tax incentives so it would include the site where the hockey team is embarking on a $1 billion development project.

The effort paid off. When the U.S. Census Bureau released updated maps this year, the site had been merged into a tract designated an “opportunity zone” under the 2017 tax law. That sets up investors to score generous federal economic development incentives.

Similar maneuvers played out ...