First appearance on FOXRepublican senators are pushing legislation to force Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to answer outstanding questions about the origins of COVID-19 and the safety of vaccines.
“We are writing about the Department of Health and Human Services’ complete disregard for transparency, congressional oversight, and the public’s right to know,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Tuesday in the letter, which was also signed by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas).
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Senator Johnson (left) led several Republican senators in invoking legislation to force HHS Secretary Becerra (right) to answer outstanding questions. (Getty Images)
Prompted by the five members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the lawmakers announced they would invoke federal law requiring executive branches to “submit any information requested in connection with any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee.”
The letter noted that the HSGAC senators have written to HHS and its subordinate agencies several times with questions about the COVID-19 virus, its pandemic status and its origins.
“Rather than provide a comprehensive and thorough response to the requests of the members of this committee, the Department of Health and Human Services has chosen to either ignore the letter from duly elected United States Senators or provide an incomplete response,” the senators said.
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A nurse fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. (AP Photo/Mary Altafur, File)
Johnson highlighted 11 specific outstanding requests that HHS must prioritize, all of which relate to the origins of the COVID-19 virus or the safety of its vaccines. The outstanding requests date back to 2020.
A response to the priority request is expected from Sen. Becerra by July 12.
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They say Becerra hasn’t given lawmakers complete answers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“HHS’s indifference and lack of responsiveness threatens our ability to fulfill our constitutional oversight responsibilities,” the lawmakers argued in the letter.
According to Republicans, “HHS’s refusal to provide requested records over the past three years is a clear indication of a full-scale cover-up.”
“What are you and your affiliates hiding?” they asked.
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Johnson has repeatedly asked HHS for more information about the safety of the vaccines and the origins of COVID-19. (Graham Sloane/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The senators also warned HHS and Becerra for failing to comply with legal requests, saying, “HSGAC Republicans have their eye on HHS and your violations of the law, and we will use every tool at our disposal to hold you and your colleagues accountable.”
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Lawmakers could use subpoenas to compel Becerra to answer questions, request records of interviews, or even try to sue him in contempt of Congress, but the current Democratic majority in the Senate makes such a resolution unlikely to pass.
HHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.
