House Republicans investigate Education Department’s alleged partisan Bidenbucks scheme
House Republicans are demanding the Department of Education forfeit information and records related to its use of taxpayer dollars to conduct partisan get-out-the-vote efforts that benefit Democrats, The Federalist has learned.
In their Tuesday letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, senior Republicans on the House Administration Committee and the Education and Workforce Committee pressed the Biden appointee over the agency’s use of Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds — which are used to provide part-time campus jobs to help students with tuition costs — to “support the Biden Administration’s campaign efforts during the 2024 election cycle.” The letter’s signatories include GOP Reps. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Laurel Lee of Florida, and Mary Miller of Illinois. Steil and Foxx chair the House Administration and Education and the Workforce Committees, respectively.
As The Federalist’s M.D. Kittle recently reported, the Education Department issued a memo on Feb. 26, “as a follow-up to a 2022 ‘Dear Colleague’ letter, clarifying that Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds may be used to support ‘broad-based get-out-the-vote activities, voter registration, providing voter assistance at a polling place or through a voter hotline, or serving as a poll worker.’” The agency also released a “toolkit” that includes guidelines for universities on how to increase voter registration and turnout on their campuses.
The recently announced policy is a shift from the agency’s 2022 guidance, which explicitly stated that public universities are prohibited from using FWS funds “for work involving partisan or nonpartisan political activity, including party-affiliated voter registration activities.” It’s worth mentioning that college-age voters (aged 18-29) broke for Democrat candidates over Republican ones by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in the 2022 midterms.
“The Department of Education’s … currently stated position about the use of FWS funds under the Higher Education Act of 1965 and regulations is at odds with the Department’s interpretation just two years ago, despite no underlying changes to the regulations or law governing the FWS program,” the Republicans’ letter reads. “In addition to this action appearing to be partisan and political, your new interpretation raises serious legal questions, and we urge the Administration to retract its recent memorandum.”
The new policy comes as part of the agency’s attempt to comply with Executive Order 14019, an overreaching directive signed by Biden in March 2021 that instructed hundreds of federal agencies to interfere in the electoral process by using U.S. taxpayer money to boost voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities. More specifically, federal departments were told to collaborate with so-called “nonpartisan third-party organizations” that have been “approved” by the administration to supply “voter registration services on agency premises.”
Despite the administration’s attempt to stonewall requests for — and heavily redact — documents related to the order’s implementation, conservative media outlets and good government groups have obtained communications revealing that many of the supposedly “nonpartisan” groups colluding with federal agencies on voter registration efforts are extremely left-wing, such as the ACLU and Demos.
House Republicans noted how the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is the only federal agency authorized by Congress to handle issues related to election administration and that even if Congress had “authorized taxpayer dollars to be used for get-out-the-vote activities, it likely would have done so in a clear way in [the Help America Vote Act of 2002], not through broad language like the FWS’s ‘public interest’ requirement.” They also highlighted that the EAC “has ruled that HAVA funds cannot be used for get-out-the-vote activities.”
“For Americans to have confidence not only in their elections but also in their federal government, taxpayer dollars should not be used for political ends like get-out-the-vote activities or targeted voter registration drives,” the letter reads. “As we approach a presidential election this November, we must take steps to bolster voters’ confidence in our election systems and processes so they can have faith in the results. Unfortunately, the Department’s plan to use FWS funds to support the Administration’s campaign efforts seems designed to heighten voters’ already existing distrust in the system in a time when we can least afford it.”
As part of their inquiry into Biden’s election interference, House Republicans requested Cardona provide their committees with “all internal memos, reports, and information that discuss” the agency’s issuance of the February memo, including records related to “requests to review and clarify the Department’s position with respect to employment of FWS students in voter registration activities by public entities.” The committees additionally demanded Cardona disclose whether the department’s February memo is “a clarification of” or replaces the agency’s 2022 memo; how the agency defines “political activity”; and who the agency “consult[ed] with or [sought] guidance from in promulgating and developing” the February memo.
House Republicans have also requested the Education Department provide committee members with an in-person briefing “no later than two weeks after the date of this letter” and provide the requested answers and documents by March 26.
Speaking with The Federalist, Steil said the Education Department’s FWS policy is just “the latest effort by the Biden Administration to influence our elections” and emphasized that “taxpayer dollars should never be used by the Administration for get-out-the-vote efforts, registration drives, or any other partisan purpose.” Foxx echoed similar sentiments, saying Biden’s flailing approval rating is “why he’s resorted to misusing the Federal Work-Study program to turn out new voters for his own personal gain.”
“It’s about as crooked as it gets. Every time I think this administration can’t stoop any lower, I’m proven wrong,” Foxx said.
Biden Work Study GOTV Lette… by The Federalist
House Republicans Demand Department of Education Records on Partisan Use of Taxpayer Dollars for Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts
House Republicans are demanding the Department of Education forfeit information and records related to its use of taxpayer dollars to conduct partisan get-out-the-vote efforts that benefit Democrats, The Federalist has learned.
Shift in Policy Raises Concerns
- Senior Republicans on the House Administration Committee and the Education and Workforce Committee have written a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, expressing concerns over the agency’s use of Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds to support the Biden Administration’s campaign efforts during the 2024 election cycle.
- The Education Department’s recent memo clarifies that FWS funds can be used for voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities, which is a departure from its previous guidance.
- House Republicans argue that this new interpretation raises legal questions and urge the Administration to retract the memo.
Interference in Elections and Left-Wing Collusion
- The Education Department’s policy aligns with Executive Order 14019, signed by President Biden, which directs federal agencies to use taxpayer money to boost voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities.
- Conservative media outlets and good government groups have obtained communications revealing that many of the “nonpartisan” groups collaborating with federal agencies on voter registration efforts are extremely left-wing.
Request for Transparency and Accountability
- House Republicans are demanding the Education Department provide internal memos, reports, and information related to the issuance of the February memo.
- They also request clarification on the department’s definition of “political activity” and the consultation process for developing the memo.
- An in-person briefing and the requested answers and documents are expected by March 26.
Criticism of Biden Administration’s Actions
- House Republicans criticize the Biden Administration for using taxpayer dollars for partisan purposes and attempting to influence elections.
- They express concerns about the erosion of confidence in the election system and emphasize the need to restore trust in the process.
Source: The Federalist
How does the Department justify using taxpayer money for voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities, as directed by Executive Order 14019, without compromising the nonpartisan nature of the electoral process?
Ign efforts during the 2024 election cycle. The letter highlights the agency’s recent memo clarifying that FWS funds can be used for get-out-the-vote activities and voter registration. This policy shift contradicts the agency’s previous guidance, which prohibited the use of FWS funds for partisan political activity.
The Republicans argue that the Department’s interpretation of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and regulations regarding FWS funds is inconsistent, as there have been no changes to the underlying regulations or laws. They also raise legal questions about the agency’s new interpretation and urge the Administration to retract its recent memorandum.
The new policy is part of the Department’s attempt to comply with Executive Order 14019, which instructed federal agencies to interfere in the electoral process by using taxpayer money to boost voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities. The Republicans express concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars for political ends and emphasize the need to bolster voters’ confidence in the election systems and processes.
The letter also highlights the questionable nature of the “nonpartisan” third-party organizations collaborating with federal agencies on voter registration efforts, such as the ACLU and Demos, which are known for their left-wing ideologies. The Republicans emphasize that only the Election Assistance Commission, authorized by Congress, should handle issues related to election administration.
In their letter, the Republicans request that Secretary Cardona provide internal memos, reports, and information related to the agency’s issuance of the February memo. They also seek clarification on whether the February memo replaces the agency’s 2022 memo, how the agency defines “political activity,” and who the agency consulted with in developing the memo. Additionally, they request an in-person briefing from the Education Department and the requested answers and documents by March 26.
The House Republicans believe that the Department’s FWS policy is the latest effort by the Biden Administration to influence elections. They argue that taxpayer dollars should never be used for partisan purposes and express concern over the misuse of the Federal Work-Study program.
Overall, the House Republicans’ letter highlights their concerns about the Department of Education’s partisan use of taxpayer dollars for get-out-the-vote efforts and voter registration activities. They emphasize the need to maintain voter confidence in the election systems and processes and urge the Administration to retract its recent memorandum.
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