House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) subpoenaed acting Labor Secretary Julie Su on Tuesday, saying Su blocked a request for information about a taxpayer-funded event that might serve as “political promotion” before the election. middle of last year.
Foxx, 80, forced Su to hand over any documents related to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summit that was organized before Election Day last year and may have been a political “spirit rally” for President Biden and other Democrats, according to a copy subpoena obtained exclusively by The Post.
A House panel has sought the records four times since October 2022 — but the acting labor secretary and his predecessor, Marty Walsh, have ignored each request.
“The fact that the Committee must issue a subpoena to compel the agency to do its job and come forward is outrageous,” Foxx told The Post in a statement.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) subpoenaed Labor Secretary Julie Su on Tuesday for having a difficult document request about apparent “political promotion” at the taxpayer-funded summit.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images The summit was hosted ahead of Election Day last year and may have been a political “spirit rally” for President Biden and other Democrats, according to a copy of the subpoena obtained exclusively by The Post. The Washington Post via Getty Images
“Such behavior may have happened in the Biden administration but not here. Every taxpayer dollar must be accounted for and used appropriately, and we will not rest until our questions are adequately answered.”
In a cover letter accompanying the subpoena, Foxx told Su his committee is investigating whether the Department of Labor has engaged in “improper, wasteful or self-aggrandizing activities.”
“The committee is interested in determining whether taxpayer resources are being spent to implement the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other statutes, or whether they are being used for political promotion,” he wrote.
“The fact that the Committee must issue a subpoena to compel the agency to do its job and come forward is outrageous,” Foxx told The Post in a statement. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Foxx and former Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee member Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) previously expressed concern to Walsh in an Oct. 5 letter. 2022, that the OSHA summit excluded employer groups and celebrated union officials and other political allies of the Biden administration.
Follow-up letters were sent on 16 February 2023 and 23 Oct. 2023, while Foxx also told OSHA Assistant Secretary Douglas Parker during a September congressional hearing that he wanted answers about the event.
Assistant Labor Secretary Liz Watson sent several letters in response to the GOP-led committee’s request, but Foxx in his cover letter said each letter provided “incomplete” information.
Su has yet to receive a Senate confirmation vote for his labor secretary role after Walsh resigned in February to lead the National Hockey League Players Association. AFP via Getty Images
The agency’s latest response, dated Nov. 14, did not disclose outside participants at the summit, detail any statements given by Labor Department officials or provide documents on general legal and ethics advice, all of which had been requested.
“The Summit was held in the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, DC, and operated in accordance with then-applicable guidance for federal agencies related to the prevention of COVID-19,” the letter read, according to a copy reviewed by The Post.
“The event complied with all applicable legal restrictions imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Government in Sunshine Act of 1976, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Hatch Political Activity Act.”
Follow-up letters were sent on 16 February 2023 and 23 Oct. 2023, while Foxx also informed OSHA Assistant Secretary Douglas Parker (above) during a September congressional hearing that he demanded answers about the event.osha.gov
According to a Labor Department readout, the summit brought together “workers, union representatives and labor organizers from various industries to discuss the value of building relationships and collaborating on ideas to address workers’ concerns” over three days.
The Department of Labor has been asked to hand over all records regarding the event by Dec. 6.
Su has yet to receive a Senate confirmation vote for his labor secretary role after Walsh resigned in February to lead the National Hockey League Players Association.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote a letter to Biden in June, saying the president should withdraw Su’s nomination if he cannot receive approval in the upper house.AP
The eight-month period is the longest a cabinet-level official has served without a confirmation vote when the same party has controlled both the Senate and the White House.
Acting secretaries are supposed to serve no more than 210 days under the Federal Vacancy Reform Act of 1998, but Su has been able to fill her position apparently “indefinitely,” according to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who replaced Burr as the top Republican on the Committee. Senate HELP.
Cassidy wrote a letter to Biden in June, saying the president should withdraw Su’s nomination if he cannot receive approval in the upper house.
In September, the Government Accountability Office released a report in response to a letter from Foxx that questioned the legal authority and time limits of Su’s role as acting labor secretary.
The report found that Su was “lawfully serving as Acting Secretary” and “that the Vacancy Act’s time limit for acting service does not apply” to him.
The Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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