Politics

Feds Respond To House Subpoena With One ‘Heavily-Redacted’ Page

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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Juliegrace Brufke Capitol Hill Reporter
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After months of House Republicans attempting to obtain documents from the Department of Health and Human Services for an investigation into Obamacare’s Basic Health Program funding, the agency responded to their subpoena this week with just a one-page “heavily redacted” document.

In a letter written to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell Tuesday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton slammed the department for failing to comply with their requests for nearly a year.

“Your Department has not asserted any valid legal privilege – presuming there is a basis for such a privilege – on which the Department may withhold information from Congress,” they wrote. “It is inconceivable that there are no other documents responsive to the request.”

The GOP lawmakers issued their subpoena in May in an attempt to look into the legality of the administration funding an Obamacare program without Congressional approval.

Upton and Brady launched the investigation in February 2015, yet the administration has continued to snub their requests or answer questions.

“The pattern of conduct to this point suggests that the Department intends to frustrate our legitimate efforts to conduct oversight of the Basic Health Program,” they continued. “We sincerely hope that is not the case, and ask accordingly that you immediately produce all documents responsive to our subpoenas.”

The Basic Health Plan, a program designed to provide states with alternative health care for low-income residents. The agency secretary is obligated to provide the information and documents requested under current law.

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