Ernst, Williams Threaten Subpoena of Documents Related to the SBA’s Voter Registration Activities and Political Travel
WASHINGTON – Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Congressman Roger Williams (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, wrote to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to once again demand documents on the agency’s voter registration activities and political travel. The letter comes as the SBA continues to stonewall repeated attempts by Congress to conduct oversight.
“Where there is smoke, there is usually fire and the SBA’s refusal to answer basic questions fuels the appearance that the agency is disregarding the Hatch Act and engaging in partisan politics ahead of the 2024 election,” said Ernst. “The Biden administration weaponizing government resources adds insult to injury for small businesses who have been put through the wringer by inflation and the rapid expansion of the federal regulatory state. Sunlight is truly the best disinfectant, and the SBA needs to stop dodging accountability and commit to being transparent.”
“For the entirety of this Congress, the SBA has stonewalled every investigation we have conducted,” said Williams. “The investigation into their electioneering efforts has been no different. It appears as if the SBA intends to delay our oversight into their electioneering efforts until after November when the damage has already been done. It is this Committee’s job to hold the SBA accountable to the taxpayer, and we are prepared to use every tool at our disposal to do so.”
Click here to view the letter.
Background:
In May, Ernst and Williams sent a joint letter to the SBA demanding travel schedules, official calendars, and other documents from the cabinet agency amid allegations it is involved in partisan voter registration outreach in key swing states, like Michigan.
In April, a video recording of an SBA special advisor alleged that SBA Administrator Guzman was indirectly campaigning for President Biden and other Democratic members of Congress in contested elections on trips the administrator takes around the country.
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