Exclusive: republican leaders The House and Senate sent a joint letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration on Thursday morning asking the Cabinet Office to engage in partisan voter registration efforts in key battleground states such as Michigan. They requested travel schedules, official calendars and other documents.
Republican Rep. Roger Williams (Texas) and Rep. Joni Ernst (Iowa) have called on the SBA to submit to congressional oversight on this issue, and earlier this week received at least one request from the good government watchdog. A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit was also filed.
The letter alleges that the SBA avoids responsibility for “Main Street” in favor of supporting voter registration in Democratic areas of Michigan, such as Detroit and Saginaw, while the commission’s constitutionally mandated It focused on Williams’ claims that he was obstructing the monitoring of his activities. agency.
“SBA has shown a serious lack of transparency regarding the travel of senior SBA officials, including Secretary Guzmanto,” Williams said.
Lawmakers criticize voter registration efforts as ‘slap in the face’; watchdog group sues federal authorities for records
A woman enters a polling station to vote on election day. (St. Petersburg)
“Main Street, and the American people, have a right to know what exactly is going on and how the SBA is spending their hard-earned tax dollars. I want the SBA to stand with us. We will continue to investigate this matter. ”
Ernst echoed Williams’ sentiments, saying in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that Biden administration officials “will not impose a partisan agenda on taxpayer interests.”
Ernst said the federal government should support struggling small businesses in the Biden economy and “have an open policy.”[ing] the Books” is overdue for transparency.
The letter alleges that SBA Administrator Isabela Casillas Guzmán is “the most frequently traveled member of the President’s Cabinet and indirectly participated in the President’s campaign travel.”4 It cites a video that was reported on May 17th.
After watching the video, Williams and Ernst said they began investigating the accuracy of the statements and corroborated their claims in advance.
Key Biden agency faces historic subpoena for ‘improper’ boost in voter registration in battleground states
Williams is targeting a partnership started by the Michigan Department of State and Small Business Administration Secretary Isabel Guzman. (Getty Images)
“Specifically, these press releases indicate that you have visited key battleground states in the upcoming election, including Michigan, and that you have invited Democratic members of Congress on these trips nearly eight times more frequently than Republican members of Congress.” ” wrote Williams and Ernst. “On April 24, 2024, a Senate committee sent a letter requesting your calendar, travel records, and correspondence with the White House.”
“To this day, you have failed to respond.”
Williams’ office told Fox News that after viewing the reported video, Ernst’s committee sent a letter to the department regarding the issue, and as of this week had not received a response. The Texas Republican Party office added that it has not seen any public statements regarding “SBA taxpayer-funded travel” since then.
In their letter, the lawmakers request calendars and past and future travel plans for Casillas-Guzman and several other SBA employees.
Lawmakers said Williams’ committee has the authority to request such documents under House Rule X and the Senate committee under Senate Rule XXV S.1.
On Friday, the Heritage Foundation and its Oversight Project Executive Director Mike Howell did not respond to a request for legal records contained in a memorandum of understanding between the SBA and the Michigan Department of State announced earlier this year. filed suit against the Heritage Foundation. 2021 Executive Order This is the key to coordination.
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House Speaker candidate Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) is seen outside the House Republican Conference campaign meeting at the Longworth Building on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty image) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
The Oversight Project’s lawsuit alleges that the SBA failed to provide documents requested under an April 23 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to the memo, which included “registration,” ” Internal communications containing search terms such as “vote,” “voter,” and “” were included. Ballot paper. ”
In March, the SBA announced a “first-ever” voter registration agreement with Michigan officials. On May 7, Williams’ committee issued an unusual subpoena to SBA aides after what the committee said was part of a failure to forward documents related to a “diversion program.” Issued. [agency] Diverts resources away from Main Street support toward partisan ends.
When asked to comment on the lawsuit, Rep. Nydia Velasquez of New York, the top Democrat on the Williams committee, expressed regret over the committee’s recently issued subpoenas and told Fox News Digital. In a statement, however, the commission said it was otherwise “proud.” We work together on a bipartisan basis to support America’s entrepreneurs. ”
“unfortunately, [these] “Despite the subpoena, Republicans rejected these principles in order to pursue a partisan investigation,” Velazquez said.
A message left at Benson’s office Wednesday in response to earlier reports was not returned by press time. The SBA said by phone that it does not comment on ongoing legal matters related to related litigation.
