The House Administration Committee is issuing subpoenas to 15 members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet related to a 2021 executive order.
In the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, is subpoenaing 15 members of Biden’s Cabinet for carrying out an executive order too close to the election. The committee is targeting an executive order Biden signed in March 2021 on “promoting access to voting.”
“The Committee has concerns about the implementation of E.O. 14019, particularly regarding its compatibility with provisions of the National Voter Registration Act (NRA) of 1993,” Steil wrote in the letter, noting that congressional authority over federal agencies “does not include using funds and resources to provide Americans with voter registration materials.”
Steil said Biden’s executive order requires each federal agency to outline a plan about how the agency can “promote voter registration and voter participation.” He said some agencies like the Department of Education and Small Business Administration have already sent their strategic plans.
“Both of those actions and the actions of other agencies raise substantial questions and concerns, some of which may be answered by access to the strategic plans drafted by the agencies,” he said.
The Promoting Access to Voting executive order was implemented to increase voter registration among voters of color, who have historically been discriminated against when it comes to voting access. The order said voters of color can experience discrimination because those groups can be “disproportionately burdened by voter identification laws” and are given “limited opportunities to vote by mail.”
The order aimed to “expand access to multilingual voter registration” for those who do not speak English. It also allowed for agencies to assist people with completing voter registration forms while remaining consistent with state laws.
Steil framed the executive order as a “scheme” with a partisan agenda.
“Elections are partisan, but our election administration should never be partisan. Allowing federal employees from the Biden administration to flood election administration sites threatens election integrity and reduces Americans’ confidence,” Steil said in a statement to Fox News.
In the letter, Steil also said the committee is considering a piece of legislation that would repeal the order and require the agencies to submit their plans to Congress.
“As the Committee continues to investigate this issue, the strategic plans and other documents requested will inform the Committee on what additional legislation, if any, needs to be considered to clarify that the NRA does not enable executive branch agencies to focus on voter registration,” he wrote.
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The letter said the committee requested the documents “related to the Department of Labor’s work” on the executive order in May but did not hear a response. Those subpoenaed were asked to comply by June 26.
Those who received subpoenas include Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young, acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman, and acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.