In the News

Today, during a business meeting of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Republicans blocked all consideration of Democratic requests to allow Members to offer, debate, and vote on 13 motions to subpoena critical documents and testimony within the Committee’s core oversight jurisdiction. Under Chairman Gowdy’s tenure, the Committee has not issued a single subpoena since Donald Trump became President.

These include documents relating to interim security clearances currently being withheld by the White House in response to a request from Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, as well as testimony from Jared Kushner relating to his conflicts of interest and his actions leading to the stripping of his Top Secret security clearance.

They also include documents currently being withheld by the Trump Foundation, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other Trump Administration agencies.

On Tuesday, Ranking Member Elijah. E. Cummings and Vice Ranking Member Gerald E. Connolly sent a detailed letter requesting that Chairman Trey Gowdy place these 13 motions for subpoenas on the agenda for today’s business meeting. House rules allow Committees to debate and vote on motions to issue subpoenas if a majority of Committee Members approve. Democrats previously sent Gowdy separate letters setting forth the specific bases for each motion, but Gowdy never responded.

During today’s business meeting, Connolly offered a motion for the Committee to debate and vote on these subpoena motions, but Republicans blocked its consideration.

“Frankly, I just don’t get it,” said Connolly today. “I don’t know why the choice is being made to protect President Trump and this administration at the expense of our Constitutional duty to conduct oversight. It’s in our Committee’s name. We are not the Committee for Protecting the Donald J. Trump Administration. We are the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.”

Today’s motions relate to the following investigations in which documents and testimony are currently being withheld:

• White House Withholding Documents on Security Clearances
• Jared Kushner for Testimony at Emergency Hearing on His Conflicts of Interest and Security Clearance Application
• DHS Withholding Documents on Contract for Emergency Meals
• White House Withholding Information on Deadly Niger Ambush
• CBP Withholding Documents on Allegations of Sexual Assault by CBP Employees
• Agencies Withholding Identities of Regulatory Reform Task Force Members
• DOD Withholding Documents on Federal Response to Hurricanes
• HHS Withholding Documents on Collaboration with Right-Wing Group to Rescind Medicaid Freedom-of-Choice Letter
• DOI Withholding Documents on Reassignment of Employees
• DOJ Withholding Documents on Communications with White House on AT&T Time-Warner Merger
• TIGTA Withholding Response to Complaint
• USDA Withholding Documents on Communications with Corporate Lobbyists
• Trump Foundation Withholding Documents on Transfer of Assets to Disqualified Persons

This is the third time Republicans have blocked Democratic subpoena motions.

On February 2, 2018, Cummings and Connolly sent Gowdy a similar request for 13 motions for subpoenas to be added to the agenda for the business meeting on February 6, 2018—all of which were also denied:

• Trump Organization Withholding Documents on Foreign Payments
• DHS Withholding Documents on Russian Attacks Against States Before Election
• DHS Withholding Information from IG Report on Trump Muslim Ban
• White House and HHS Withholding Documents on Biased Refugee Report
• HHS Withholding Documents on Gag Order Against Whistleblowers
• Kushner Withholding Emails That Violate Presidential Records Act
• White House Withholding Documents on Security Clearance Suspensions
• Transition Team and DOJ Withholding Flynn, Jr.’s Security Clearance Documents
• White House Withholding Documents on Interim Security Clearances
• Flynn and Business Partners Withholding Documents on Middle East Nuclear Deal
• Data Firms Withholding Documents on Foreign Contacts During Election
• OMB Withholding Agency Downsizing Plans
• FDIC Withholding Documents on EPA Senior Advisor Banned from Banking

On October 31, 2017, Cummings asked Gowdy to add six motions for subpoenas to the agenda for the business meeting on November 2, 2017, but these were also denied:

• White House Withholding Documents on Flynn’s Foreign Contacts
• White House Withholding Documents on Personal Email Use by Top Aides
• Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Withholding Documents on Emails
• White House Withholding Documents on Hurricane Response
• Governor Snyder Withholding Documents on Flint Water Investigation
• Kushner Companies Withholding Documents on Alleged Housing Abuses