House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) quoted acting Labor Secretary Julie Su on Tuesday as saying that Su blocked requests for information about a funded event by taxpayers that could have served as “political promotion” before last year’s midterm elections.
Foxx, 80, forced Su to hand over any documents related to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summit that was held in the run-up to Election Day last year and that may have constituted a “ “political pep rally” for President Biden. and other Democrats, according to a copy of the subpoena obtained exclusively by The Post.
The House panel had requested the records four times since October 2022, but the acting Labor secretary and her predecessor, Marty Walsh, had ignored all the requests.
“The fact that the Committee should issue a subpoena to force the agency to do its job and be forthcoming is outrageous,” Foxx told The Post in a statement.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) cited Labor Secretary Julie Su on Tuesday for blocking requests for documents about apparent “political advocacy” in a taxpayer-funded summit. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images The summit was organized in the run-up to Election Day last year and may have constituted a political “pep rally” for President Biden and other Democrats, according to a copy of the subpoena obtained exclusively by The Post.The Washington Post via Getty Images
“That type of behavior may occur in the Biden administration, but not here. Every taxpayer dollar must be accounted for and used appropriately, and we will not rest until our questions are sufficiently answered.”
In a cover letter accompanying the subpoena, Foxx told Su that his committee was investigating whether the Labor Department had engaged in “inappropriate, wasteful or self-aggrandizing activities.”
“The Committee is interested in determining whether taxpayer resources were spent to implement the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other statutes, or whether they were used for political advocacy,” he wrote.
“The fact that the Committee should issue a subpoena to force the agency to do its job and be forthcoming is outrageous,” Foxx told The Post in a statement. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Foxx and former Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee ranking member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) had previously expressed concerns to Walsh in an October 5, 2022 letter from that the OSHA summit excluded employer groups and celebrated union leaders and other political allies of the Biden administration.
Follow-up letters were sent on February 16, 2023, and October 23, 2023, while Foxx also told OSHA Deputy Secretary Douglas Parker during a Congressional hearing in September that he wanted answers about the event.
Deputy Secretary of Labor Liz Watson sent several letters in response to requests from the GOP-led committee, but Foxx in her cover letter said each missive provided “incomplete” information.
Su has yet to receive a Senate confirmation vote for her job as Labor secretary after Walsh resigned in February to head the National Hockey League Players Association. AFP via Getty Images
The agency’s most recent response, dated Nov. 14, did not disclose outside participants in the summit, detail any comments made by Labor Department officials, or provide documents on general legal and ethical advice, all of which had been required.
“The Summit was held at the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, DC, and was conducted in accordance with then-applicable guidance for federal agencies related to COVID-19 prevention,” the letter said, according to a copy reviewed by The Post.
“The event complied with all applicable legal restrictions imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Government Under the Sun Act of 1976, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Hatch Political Activity Act.”
Follow-up letters were sent on February 16, 2023, and October 23, 2023, while Foxx also briefed OSHA Deputy Secretary Douglas Parker (above) during a Congressional hearing in September, demanding answers about the event. .osha.gov
According to a statement from the Department of Labor, the summit convened “workers, union representatives and labor organizers from a variety of industries to discuss the value of building relationships and collaborating on ideas to address worker concerns” over the course of three days. .
The Department of Labor was asked to turn over all records about the event by December 6.
Su has yet to receive a Senate confirmation vote for her job as Labor secretary after Walsh resigned in February to head the National Hockey League Players Association.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote a letter to Biden in June, saying the president should withdraw Su’s nomination if he cannot receive approval from the upper chamber.
The eight-month period is the longest a Cabinet-level official has served without a confirmation vote when the same party has controlled both the Senate and the White House.
Acting secretaries are not supposed to serve more than 210 days under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, but Su has been able to fill his position apparently “in perpetuity,” according to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who replaced Burr as the top Republican on the Senate RELIEF Committee.
Cassidy wrote a letter to Biden in June, saying the president should withdraw Su’s nomination if he cannot receive approval from the upper house.
In September, the Government Accountability Office issued a report in response to a letter from Foxx asking about the legal authority and time limits of Su’s acting Labor secretary role.
The report found that Su was “lawfully serving as Acting Secretary” and “that the Vacancies Act’s time limitations on acting service do not apply” to her.
The Labor Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn