GOP Takes Action Against Biden’s Voter Mobilization Strategy

House Republicans have issued subpoenas to top Biden officials, sparking a heated debate over federal voter mobilization efforts.

At a Glance

Rep. Bryan Steil has subpoenaed officials from five federal agencies for sworn depositions.
Subpoenas pertain to non-compliance with earlier congressional inquiries into Biden’s executive order on voting access.
The executive order aims to enhance voter registration and participation.
GOP sees the order as potentially manipulating electoral outcomes.

Republicans Issue Subpoenas

House Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, chairman of the Committee on House Administration, has issued subpoenas to five Biden administration agency officials demanding sworn depositions. These officials represent the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Agriculture. Steil’s move follows the agencies’ failure to comply with earlier congressional subpoenas related to President Biden’s executive order on Promoting Access to Voting.

The executive order, signed by President Biden in March 2021, seeks partnerships between federal bodies and election officials to safeguard and enhance voting rights. It aims to eradicate obstacles to voting, expand voter registration, and ensure accurate election information dissemination. Senate Republicans and Steil have criticized this executive order, labeling it a federal voter mobilization effort with potentially partisan implications.

Biden’s Voting Access Executive Order is the administration’s latest scheme to tilt the scales ahead of 2024.

I’ve subpoenaed the Biden admin for documents related to EO 14019 as Congress did NOT appropriate taxpayer funds for partisan activities.https://t.co/LT2BiOYtSf

— Bryan Steil (@RepBryanSteil) June 13, 2024

Concerns Over Federal Overreach

The new subpoenas target key departments, highlighting GOP concerns about the executive order’s compatibility with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Steil asserts that Congress, not the President, has the lawful authority to assign election-related functions to federal agencies, and this does not extend to using agency resources for voter registration. He stated, “Americans deserve transparency and trust in their elections. However, the Biden Administration has refused to comply with a lawfully issued congressional subpoena and cooperate with our investigation into their plan to use federal agencies to ‘get out the vote.'”

🚨BREAKING: Chairman @RepBryanSteil subpoenas 15 Biden Administration cabinet members requesting documents related to ‘Bidenbucks.’https://t.co/3ZSgtp3bok

— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmin) June 13, 2024

The Path Forward

Steil further argues that the Biden administration’s lack of cooperation with the Committee’s investigation undermines transparency in the electoral process. The subpoenas require the officials to produce detailed plans and documents connected to the executive order by June 26. GOP critics contend that the executive order amounts to a partisan manipulation of the voting process, potentially violating federal spending laws. They also argue that the order threatens election integrity and reduces public confidence in electoral outcomes.

“Using the nation’s multi-billion-dollar nutrition program to implement the Biden Administration’s voter registration scheme is not only a cause for concern, but one that necessitates further scrutiny,” the Republicans wrote.

Steil emphasizes that States hold the primary role in establishing and administering election laws, with Congress having a federal “fail-safe” role. He also underscores the constitutionality of protecting citizens’ voting rights and the existing legal boundaries for noncitizens. The ongoing investigation into the Biden administration’s actions is part of broader Republican efforts to ensure election security and promote policies like mandatory voter identification.