Biden administration accused of using the GOVERNMENT to try and grab votes in a key swing state

Republicans are accusing Biden administration officials of being behind a 'vote grabbing' operation in a critical swing state. 

The House Small Business Committee Chair Roger Williams, R-Texas, subpoenaed multiple officials from the Small Business Administration.

He says they're involved in an alleged scheme to improperly register voters in Michigan as part of an effort to boost Biden.

The committee has been investigating how the SBA is involved in voter registration efforts following a March 2021 executive order by Biden aimed at increasing access to voting.

It is the first time in history that the body has subpoenaed members at the SBA.

'These actions were necessary because of the agency’s refusal to comply with the Committee’s ongoing investigation into potential electioneering activities by the SBA regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) they have entered with Michigan’s Secretary of State to register voters,' a release announcing the subpoenas stated.

The House Committee on Small Business subpoenaed two SBA workers for additional details about how the agency is allegedly involved in electioneering

GOP lawmakers on the committee have said that the SBA in coordination with the Michigan Secretary of State are working to improperly register voters in the critical swing state

'The fact that we are having to issue subpoenas to speak with SBA officials is extremely disappointing,' Williams said in a statement announcing the enforcement action. 

'The committee has given these two individuals the opportunity to speak with us voluntarily, but this appears to be the only way to get them to comply with our constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities.'

'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,' Williams continued. 

'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.'

The SBA under Biden announced in March the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Michigan's Department of State.  

The SBA program came the same month Biden campaigned in the important swing state. 

Notably, the president beat Donald Trump in the battleground state by less than three percent in 2020.  

According to a release announcing the plan, the goal of the Biden action was to 'promote civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan,' which was dubbed a 'first-of-its-kind collaboration.'

The program is set to run through 2036 and '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,' SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a March statement.

SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman has testified that the program 'will help connect Michiganders to vital voter registration'

Republican Rep. Dan Mesuer called the SBA's MOU with Michigan 'a blatant attempt by the Biden Administration to illegally use the SBA as an extension of the President’s campaign'

But Republicans are saying the collaboration is blatant election interference and that the Biden administration is targeting swing states with the program ahead of the November election. 

'It is unconscionable that during such a precarious time for our nation’s small businesses, the sole federal agency created to serve as their advocate is instead utilizing their limited taxpayer resources and time to advance partisan political campaigns,' Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said in a statement.

'The SBA’s MOU with the Michigan Department of State is a blatant attempt by the Biden Administration to illegally use the SBA as an extension of the President’s campaign.'

'They are working to elect Democrats, which is abundantly clear considering registration efforts are targeted at cities like Detroit and other urban areas. And if this is being done in Michigan, we can make an educated assumption that it is also happening in other swing states.'

The subpoenas demand that both SBA officials sit for interviews on May 21.