Senator Rick Scott joined a large number of his Republican colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden (D) following his refusal to be transparent surrounding Executive Order 14019.
The executive order used taxpayer dollars to instruct federal agencies to “engage in voter mobilization and submit to the White House a plan for doing so.”
The senators believe this could be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act which bars agencies from using federal funds without authorization from the Legislative Branch.
Sen. Scott and his colleagues wrote, “We are concerned by your failure to respond to our previous inquiry on May 10, 2023, regarding Executive Order 14019 on ‘Promoting Access to Voting.’ This policy directive merits congressional oversight both as a general matter and under the Antideficiency Act. Accordingly, we write to reiterate our request for information regarding the implementation of this executive order, including copies of the plans submitted to the White House.”
The senators would go on to mention that federal employees should strive to be nonpartisan in their duties.
Federal agencies should be focused on their defined missions in a nonpartisan manner, not using taxpayer funds for voter mobilization efforts with potentially partisan impacts. In other words, it’s not the job of the federal government to drive voter turnout,” the legislator said. “Reviewing these agency plans is crucial to determining whether this order has or may lead to the improper use of federal resources.”
The lawmakers concluded, “So that Congress can determine the voter mobilization and electioneering activities to which your Administration has devoted taxpayer resources, we respectfully request the following information developed in accordance with Executive Order 14019 as soon as possible:
- Full copies of all federal agency “strategic plans” required under Section 3 and a list of which agencies have not yet submitted a strategic plan;
- The strategic plan required by the General Services Administration under Section 5;
- The recommendations provided by the Office of Personnel Management under Section 6; and
- All procedures established by the Attorney General under Section 9.”
Scott and the senators also requested the full accounting of all federal funding used to administer Executive Order 14019.
Co-signers of the letter include Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) along with Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Katie Britt (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), J.D. Vance (R-OH), James Lankford (R-OK), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Mike Crapo (R-ID).
Senator Rick Scott is running for reelection in 2024. He is expected to face former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL).
