The Biden administration is being accused of defying congressional authority by showing reluctance to comply with legitimate oversight requests. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are calling for budget cuts to federal agencies that refuse to cooperate with lawmakers’ investigations, warning that failure to discipline these agencies risks setting a dangerous precedent for stonewalling future probes.
Led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, GOP lawmakers have urged the House Appropriations Committee to use the power of the purse to compel the executive branch to provide documents and information in response to congressional oversight requests. They accused the Biden administration of repeatedly defying congressional authority and obstructing oversight efforts by federal agencies.
The letter from the GOP lawmakers lists examples of obstructive behavior by Biden administration agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) providing limited documents in response to inquiries about the infant formula crisis. The U.S. State Department also failed to provide documents related to taxpayer funds going to the United Nations for the ESG agenda, drawing criticism from conservatives.
The lawmakers called on the Appropriations Committee to withhold funding in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget from agencies that have not cooperated with oversight investigations. They emphasized the importance of using the power of the purse to hold government agencies accountable and ensure compliance with congressional oversight.
Additionally, some House Republicans have sought to defund “woke” programs through the appropriations process, arguing that taxpayer dollars should not fund left-leaning agendas. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) led a group of lawmakers in launching an Anti-Woke Caucus last year to eliminate far-left political programs from the federal government.
In letters to House appropriations leaders, Banks and his colleagues identified “woke” programs in spending bills and called for their defunding in the 2024 budget. Some success was seen in defunding these programs, with amendments included in the National Defense Authorization Act to suspend initiatives like the Navy Digital Ambassador Program.
Overall, the efforts to hold agencies accountable for oversight and defund “woke” programs highlight the ongoing push by conservatives to ensure transparency and fiscal responsibility in government operations.
Banks introduced an initiative to defund National Public Radio (NPR), accusing the station of being a “liberal looney bin” and calling on Congress to stop “spending other people’s hard-earner money on low grade propaganda.”
NPR did not respond to a request for comment.
