Bad news keeps on coming for Joe Biden. He and his White House can’t avoid trouble even if they tried.
And Republicans have launched an investigation on the Biden admin after they were caught in this massive scandal.
Republican leaders on the House and Senate Small Business committees are poised to subpoena the Small Business Administration (SBA) over its voter registration initiative in Michigan.
In a letter sent to SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman on Monday, Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), chairman of the House committee, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) criticized the agreement as “politically motivated.”
Williams and Ernst requested all communications between SBA employees, small business owners, and Michigan politicians regarding the “Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Michigan,” which was obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner.
The Memorandum of Understanding, agreed upon in March, established a voter access program aimed at promoting civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan. Guzman stated that the collaboration would “help connect Michiganders to vital voter registration information from the State of Michigan so that more small business owners can exercise their right to vote.”
However, Republicans have decried the program as a tactic to rally support for President Joe Biden in a key battleground state crucial for the upcoming November election.
The lawmakers demanded the SBA provide the requested communications and evidence of any voter access activities prior to the program’s announcement, as well as clarify whether the SBA or Michigan initiated the program, by July 29. Failure to comply could lead to a subpoena.
The letter signed by Ernst and Williams highlighted months of separate oversight attempts by both committees regarding the SBA’s Michigan program, including a May subpoena to two senior SBA officials, special adviser Tyler Robinson and chief of staff Arthur Plews, for their refusal to cooperate with the investigation into “potential electioneering activities.”
“For the entirety of this Congress, the SBA has stonewalled every investigation we have conducted,” Williams stated. “The investigation into their electioneering efforts has been no different. It appears as if the SBA intends to delay our oversight into their electioneering efforts until after November when the damage has already been done. It is this Committee’s job to hold the SBA accountable to the taxpayer, and we are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to do so.”
Williams and Ernst accused the SBA of exploiting voluntary interviews offered by the committee rather than providing forced testimony through subpoenas, resulting in SBA individuals “conveniently” being unable to recall key information.
They sent a joint letter on May 16 requesting transcripts for political or mixed travel and the travel itineraries of senior SBA workers.
“In response, the SBA provided 108 pages of media advisories concerning events the Administrator had attended— which as the Committees noted to your staff, were not what the Committees requested and is not considered responsive to the request,” Williams and Ernst wrote.
“It is deeply troubling that the SBA continues to withhold documents and information,” the lawmakers continued, “not just because it suggests that the SBA is engaged in some wrongdoing, but also because it’s a direct attack on the coequal responsibilities of our respective branches of government. … The Committees seek to work with the SBA, not fight it; however, the SBA’s obstruction creates concerns over its actions and may force the Committees to use more direct means of attaining information.”
As the 2024 election approaches, the investigation into the Michigan voter registration program is becoming more urgent.
Michigan, a crucial swing state, has garnered increased attention from Biden and Democrats amidst growing concerns about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November.
According to an Emerson College poll released Thursday, Biden trails Trump by 3 percentage points in Michigan.
“Where there is smoke, there is usually fire and the SBA’s refusal to answer basic questions fuels the appearance that the agency is disregarding the Hatch Act and engaging in partisan politics ahead of the 2024 election,” Ernst said. “The Biden administration weaponizing government resources adds insult to injury for small businesses who have been put through the wringer by inflation and the rapid expansion of the federal regulatory state.”
“Sunlight is truly the best disinfectant, and the SBA needs to stop dodging accountability and commit to being transparent,” the Iowa senator stated.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
