Oversight Panel Investigates Legality Of Biden’s Voter Registration Efforts
Republican lawmakers are escalating their scrutiny of the Biden administration’s efforts to leverage federal agencies and resources to boost voter registration and turnout. The House Oversight Committee is now demanding documents and a staff briefing from the White House budget office justifying the legal basis for these initiatives.
In a letter to Budget Director Shalanda Young, Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) cited a lack of “constitutional and statutory authority” allowing agencies to pursue voter mobilization activities outside their core missions. He questioned the White House’s 2021 order instructing agencies to develop plans promoting voter registration and the underlying constitutional authority claimed by it.
Comer warned the directive could enable executive overreach by circumventing Congress and tasked agencies with potentially improper political activities. Citing previous oversight findings, he expressed concerns agencies were coordinating with partisan groups and targeting Democrat-leaning constituencies like public housing residents.
Republican officials have accused Biden of misusing federal resources for a de facto Democrat voter turnout operation. But the administration insists the efforts properly address discriminatory voting obstacles faced by minority groups.
Previous oversight requests found agencies coordinating with left-leaning third-party groups and potentially targeting services like job training and public housing to drive registrations among constituencies that lean Democrat.
