House Grills Democratic Official on Alleged Voter Registration Scheme with Biden Administration

House Republicans grilled Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Wednesday over concerns that the state's voter registration partnership with President Joe Biden’s Small Business Administration (SBA) unfairly benefits the president’s re-election campaign. The issue centers on a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan, which Republicans argue disproportionately targets Democrat-leaning areas.

Small Business Committee Chair Roger Williams (R-TX) sent a letter to Benson demanding answers, accusing the Biden Administration of misusing federal resources to boost his re-election efforts. “The SBA’s job is to help our nation’s small businesses,” the letter stated. “Sadly, it appears the Biden Administration has abused the trust of the American taxpayer, betrayed the mission of the SBA, and weaponized the powers and resources of the federal government to serve his own re-election interests.”

Key Points:

• SBA Events Favoring Democrats: Republicans pointed out that of the 52 small business events scheduled in Michigan from January to November 2024, 39 are in Democrat-favorable counties. Additionally, all visits by SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman and Deputy Administrator Dilawar Syed were to events in these areas.

• Lack of Republican Inclusion: The committee's letter questions whether Republicans were invited to participate in these outreach events, highlighting a potential bias in the SBA's efforts.

• Undercover Video Evidence: An undercover video from investigative journalist James O’Keefe purportedly shows Guzman’s chief of staff suggesting that the administration only did events with Democrats to aid their elections while ignoring Republicans.

Michigan GOP Rep. Lisa McClain voiced her concerns, stating, “The United States is built upon the principle of free and fair elections, but the Biden administration seems to not care about upholding our democracy. Instead, they’re using the taxpayer-funded SBA to coordinate voter registration with Michigan’s Secretary of State. This is an unbelievable abuse of power that will ruin the integrity of our elections. I am gravely concerned about the SBA’s plot, and I will not rest until I get to the bottom of it.”

The partnership between Michigan and the SBA follows an executive order from President Biden requiring federal agencies to explore ways to expand voter registration and participation. Michigan, a critical battleground state for the 2024 election, shows former President Donald Trump with a slight lead over Biden, according to recent polls.

As the investigation continues, House Republicans are demanding transparency and accountability to ensure that federal resources are not being misused for partisan purposes. The outcome of this inquiry could have significant implications for the upcoming election.

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