Staff Reports
In a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), a group of 22 House Republicans are demanding cuts to federal agency budgets that are not cooperating with investigations. These lawmakers believe that the Biden administration is obstructing their efforts to oversee government activities. They are urging Chairman Cole to use the power of the purse to force government agencies to respond to document requests and other inquiries related to oversight investigations. This letter, obtained by the Washington Examiner, emphasizes the importance of including language in future appropriations bills to reduce or withhold funding from agencies that fail to cooperate.
GOP demands budget cuts for agencies refusing to cooperate with House Oversight Committee https://t.co/Cx214n1TdK via @dcexaminer
— Fearless45 (@Fearless45Trump) May 3, 2024
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) expressed frustration with the Biden administration’s alleged obstruction. He believes that agencies must face consequences for not complying with congressional requests, warning that failure to do so could set a dangerous precedent. The committee has reportedly encountered difficulties with multiple Biden administration agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Defense. In each case, the agencies either failed to comply or did so with delay, according to the lawmakers’ letter.
The lawmakers argue that the appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2025 should send a clear signal to the Biden administration that its behavior will no longer be tolerated. They propose that agencies that fail to comply with congressional oversight requests for documents and information should face a loss or reduction of funding in order to gain compliance.
In response to these demands, House Republicans have been calling on party leaders to utilize the power of the purse in order to advance certain agenda items. They have specifically voiced concerns about border legislation and have threatened to impede crucial appropriations bills if their demands are not met. It remains uncertain how the Appropriations Committee will respond to these calls for budget cuts as lawmakers work to craft spending legislation for the next fiscal year. The Examiner has reached out to a spokesperson for Chairman Cole for comment, but no response has been received at this time.
