Top Watchdog Sues Biden Agency After Rejecting 'Electoral Activities' With Key Change Status

The Small Business Administration has been sued by a major government watchdog group for responding to public records requests through obstruction.

The move by the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project and its executive director, Mike Howell, comes about a week after House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams subpoenaed two SBA employees in response that the SBA refused “to comply with the Committee's ongoing investigation into possible electoral activities of the SBA,” according to a Press release by Williams.

“The fact that we have to issue subpoenas to speak with SBA officials is extremely disappointing,” Williams said in a statement at the time. “The committee has given these two individuals the opportunity to speak with us voluntarily, but this appears to be the only way to get them to comply with our constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities.”

“The American people deserve answers and transparency about the SBA's election activities and how it has or plans to insert itself into the upcoming federal election. The SBA's sole mission is to help Main Street thrive and grow, and they have repeatedly strayed from that mission to pursue outside political goals. It is unfortunate that we have come to this point, but this Committee is determined to get answers on behalf of the American people,” he added.

president @RepRWilliams i @SmallBizCmteGOP Member of the ranking @SenJoniErnst issued a statement to @SBAgovrefusal to comply with congressional oversight.

We are committed to ensuring that the SBA remains focused on its mission to support small business owners across America. pic.twitter.com/TB6D7E3GJj

— House Small Business Committee (@HouseSmallBiz) May 15, 2024

What exactly “electioneering activities” has SBA been conducting? In accordance with Fox Newsthe agency has been making an effort “to channel resources to help register swing state voters.”

This activity was uncovered in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the SBA signed with the Michigan Secretary of State to register voters.

Republicans wanted an explanation for that, but the agency refused to provide one, so the Oversight Project sued.

The lawsuit accuses the SBA of ignoring an April 23 Freedom of Information request related to the memo.

“In the filing, Howell's team called the request a 'matter of broad and exceptional media interest in which there are potential questions about the integrity of the government that affect public trust,'” notes Fox News .

Speaking to Fox News, Oversight Project chief counsel Kyle Brosnan echoed Howell's point, arguing that there is a public interest in looking into government-run voter registration events.

All of this comes two months after the SBA announced its “first-ever” voter registration agreement with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office.

“President Biden's Executive Order 14019, on 'promoting voting access,' was key to the coordination, prompting concerns that the agency was being used to register voters on a partisan basis in a state of key change,” according to Fox News.

“Based on what I've seen in public reports, the Small Business Administration has not complied with congressional requests for documents,” Williams told Fox News. “And the committee subpoenaed those two SBA officials for testimony later this month after they failed to appear for voluntary transcribed interviews.”

“It's curious that the Small Business Administration has reached an agreement with the Michigan secretary of state in this context, with this year's election,” he added.

He went on to say that his committee “has been working hard to hold the SBA accountable for its improper involvement in federal elections.”

“SBA's mission to help Main Street grow and prosper is simple, but very important to our country,” he said. “Unfortunately, they appear to be devoting energy to serving as President Biden's campaign arm to register Democratic voters in Michigan.”

He noted that this behavior is a “slap in the face” for struggling small business owners.

Announcing the March voter registration event, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said that “protecting and strengthening our democracy is critical to our economic success and a core goal of the Biden administration- Harris,” and that helping Michigan residents register to vote would go some way. small business owners exercise their own voting rights.

Speaking to Fox News, Brosnan referenced a similar agreement made since September with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Michigan to designate two Detroit properties and one Saginaw VA property as voter registration sites.

“When reached for comment on the lawsuit, Williams' top panel Democrat, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., expressed dismay at the subpoenas recently issued by her committee, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that his committee hadn't.” prides itself on bipartisan cooperation to help America's entrepreneurs,” notes Fox News.

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V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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