On Tuesday, the House Committee on Small Business subpoenaed the Small Business Administration, claiming that the Biden administration was possibly violating the Constitution by funneling resources to register voters in the swing state of Michigan.
SBA chief of staff Arthur Plews and his special adviser, Tyler Robinson, were subpoenaed after they reportedly didn’t show up at scheduled transcribed interviews with the committee and didn’t turn over documents related to a program allegedly “diverting its resources away from assisting Main Street so it can register Democrat voters.” This is the first time the agency has been subpoenaed by the committee, per Fox News.
In March, the SBA and the Michigan Department of State announced a joint effort to “promote civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan,” which will last through Jan. 1, 2036. This coordinated effort came from a 2021 executive order from Biden prompting federal agencies to push for greater access to voting.
According to a press release, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said the collaboration “will help connect Michiganders to vital voter registration information from the State of Michigan so that more small business owners can exercise their right to vote.”
As part of the Biden administration’s effort, the Michigan Department of State would “create a unique URL for the SBA to use to drive online visitors to register to vote.” Meanwhile, the SBA’s Michigan field office would permit state government officials to coordinate in-person voter registration during the agency’s business outreach events.
However, Republicans raised concerns that the move was a ploy by President Joe Biden to use a government agency to register voters in a highly competitive swing state.
“The committee has given these two individuals the opportunity to speak with us voluntarily without taking these actions, but this appears to be the only way to get them to comply with our oversight responsibilities,” House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Willams (R-TX) told the outlet. “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. It’s unfortunate that we have arrived at this point, but this Committee is determined to get answers on behalf of the American people.”
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“The SBA’s MOU with the Michigan Department of State is improper, inappropriate, and perhaps, unconstitutional,” Williams said last month.
The House Small Business Committee found that 22 out of 25 of these outreach events took place in counties with the highest population of the Democratic National Committee’s target demographics, and 11 of 15 Michigan counties showing the largest growth in voter registration over the past year were ranked highest in young voters and black voters.
