Quick Hit:

A House committee has subpoenaed 15 Biden administration agencies over concerns about the implementation of an executive order on voter mobilization. Republicans are scrutinizing the plan, citing potential partisan impacts and constitutional issues.

Key Details:

• In March 2021, Biden signed an order promoting access to voting, directing federal agencies to assist in voter registration and eliminate voting barriers. Senate Republicans view this as a federal voter mobilization effort.

• Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has subpoenaed Biden's cabinet secretaries to provide detailed plans on executing the order, citing concerns about its compatibility with the National Voter Registration Act.

• Republicans argue the order uses federal resources for partisan activities, threatening election integrity. They are considering legislation to repeal the order and clarify the scope of federal agency roles in voter registration.

Diving Deeper:

First reported by Fox News, the House Administration Committee, chaired by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., has issued subpoenas to 15 executive agencies within the Biden administration. This action stems from constitutional concerns regarding the implementation of President Biden's executive order (E.O. 14019) on promoting access to voting. The order, signed in March 2021, instructs federal agencies to collaborate with various election officials to protect voting rights, eliminate discrimination, and expand voter registration access.

Steil's subpoenas target detailed plans from these agencies on how they are carrying out the executive order, particularly in light of potential conflicts with the National Voter Registration Act (NRA) of 1993. He emphasized, “Congress delegates to federal agencies specific functions and missions, which by law they are required to follow. Congress's delegation of authority to HUD does not include using funds and resources to provide Americans with voter registration materials.”

The order mandates that each federal agency submit a strategic plan for promoting voter registration and participation. Steil pointed out that recent actions by some agencies, such as the Department of Education’s new federal work-study requirements and the Small Business Administration’s voter registration agreement with Michigan, raise substantial questions about the order’s implementation. He noted, “These actions and those of other agencies raise substantial questions and concerns, some of which may be answered by access to the strategic plans drafted by the agencies.”

The subpoena list includes a broad range of departments: Commerce, Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Agriculture.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Steil called the executive order a “scheme” for partisan activities. He asserted, “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.”

This development follows a previous push by top Republican senators, who in November sought answers from the Biden administration about its voter mobilization efforts but were met with a lack of response. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., alongside 23 senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the administration for not addressing their inquiries. They stressed that the policy directive warranted congressional oversight, particularly concerning the Antideficiency Act, and reiterated their request for agency plans submitted to the White House.

Additionally, in April, a lawsuit challenging the executive order claimed it targeted key demographics to benefit the president's political party and his re-election efforts. Tarren Bragdon, president and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability, which filed an amicus brief in a related Supreme Court case, remarked, “It’s no wonder Team Biden is using their authority and resources to target welfare populations with a federally funded get-out-the-vote effort.”