President Joe Biden’s Small Business Administration (SBA) was subpoenaed by the House Committee on Small Business on Tuesday over alleged efforts to “register Democrat voters” in Michigan, a vital battleground state in the 2024 election.
House Republican leaders on the Small Business Committee said they issued two subpoenas for SBA officials after “they failed to comply with an investigation into potential electioneering activities” allegedly carried out by the agency. SBA Special Advisor Tyler Robinson and Chief of Staff Arthur Plews were subpoenaed after they didn’t appear for transcribed interviews with the committee, Fox News reported. The Biden administration officials are also accused of failing to hand over documents related to an alleged effort to divert “resources away from assisting Main Street so it can register Democrat voters.”
“The fact that we are having to issue subpoenas to speak with SBA officials is extremely disappointing,” said House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX) said it’s “unfortunate” that the subpoenas had to be issued, but added, “The American people deserve answers and transparency on the electioneering activities of the SBA and how they have or plan to insert themselves in the upcoming federal elections.”
“The SBA’s sole mission is to help Main Street thrive and grow, and they have repeatedly strayed from that mission to pursue outside political objectives,” Williams added. “It’s unfortunate that we have arrived at this point, but this Committee is determined to get answers on behalf of the American people.”
The House committee said it was the first time in history that it had subpoenaed the SBA, according to Fox News. Republicans on the Small Business Committee believe that a recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Michigan Department of State announced by the SBA could be unconstitutional.
The MOU was labeled a “first-of-its-kind collaboration” intended to “promote civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan.” The voter registration collaboration between the SBA and the Michigan state government is supposed to run through the end of 2035.
A March press release from the Michigan Department of State announced its agreement with the SBA and said it would “create a unique URL for the SBA to use to drive online visitors to register to vote.”
“The SBA’s Michigan field office may also allow MDOS officials to conduct in-person voter registration at the SBA’s small business outreach events. Michigan boasts a thriving small business community, with more than 900,000 small businesses that employ 1.9 million Michiganders,” the press release added.
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Michigan’s collaboration with the SBA stems from an executive order issued by President Biden shortly after he took office, requiring federal agencies to “consider ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.”
Michigan could play a major role in deciding who wins a second term in the White House in November. Currently, former President Donald Trump leads Biden in the polling in Michigan by just over one point, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Biden faces on-the-ground problems in the battleground state as Michigan’s large population of Muslim voters, who typically vote Democrat, have opposed the president’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. The president won the state by more than 154,000 votes in 2020, but in this year’s Democratic primary, more than 100,000 people voted “uncommitted,” raising alarms within the party.
“The Biden Admin is spending taxpayer dollars to help him win a battleground state,” said Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), who chairs the Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access Subcommittee. “@SBAgov engaging in voter registration efforts in Dem cities is a complete abuse of taxpayer dollars. @HouseSmallBiz is fighting to end these blatantly political acts.”