FIRST ON FOX: The top Republican on the House Small Business Committee is accusing the Biden administration of using a key government agency as its “campaign arm” in a critical swing state ahead of the 2024 election.
“Earlier this month, my colleagues and I sent a letter to the SBA inquiring into their Memorandum of Understanding with the Michigan Department of State. It appears that the SBA is diverting its resources away from assisting Main Street so it can register Democrat voters,” Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
“Federal agencies should not act as campaign arms for their Administrations, period. Americans have a right to know the extent of the SBA’s involvement, and based on further investigation, it appears even more concerning. I look forward to hearing from Administrator Guzman as to why her agency is engaging in election efforts on the taxpayer’s dime.”
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Small Business Committee chairman Roger Williams is accusing President Biden of using the SBA as a campaign arm. (Getty Images)
It comes as President Biden’s re-election campaign eyes Michigan as a must-win state in the 2024 race. Biden beat former President Trump by less than 3% there in 2020.
Williams’ committee is investigating the Small Business Administration’s collaboration with the Michigan Department of State on a program “to promote civic engagement and voter registration in Michigan,” according to a press release announcing the partnership.
The press release said the Michigan Department of State would “create a unique URL for the SBA to use to drive online visitors to register to vote,” and that the SBA’s Michigan field office would allow state government officials to facilitate in-person voter registration at the federal agency’s business outreach events. It is part of an overall effort by the Biden administration to expand access to voter registration, launched by a 2021 executive order.
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Williams is targeting a partnership started by the Michigan Department of State and Small Business Administration chief Isabel Guzman. (Getty Images)
An investigation by the House Small Business Committee found that 22 out of 25 of such outreach events have taken place in counties with the highest population of Democratic National Committee (DNC) target demographics.
Meanwhile, 11 of 15 Michigan counties that showed the largest voter registration increase over the last year have ranked highest in population of young voters and Black voters, according to the committee – two of the left’s most-sought voting blocs.
Williams sent a letter last week to SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman demanding more information on whether her federal office is helping expand Biden’s voter base.
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Biden talks to supporters at a campaign event outside a private home in the Cathedral District neighborhood of Saginaw, Michigan, on March 14, 2024. Michigan is a critical state for Biden to win in November. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“The Committee wrote to you on April 4, 2024, requesting further information about your involvement in voter registration in Michigan. You failed to provide a briefing, narrative response, or any documents by the deadline. The Committee is incredibly concerned that the Small Business Administration (SBA) improperly involved the federal government in America’s electoral processes,” Williams wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign and the SBA for comment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
