A top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday demanded that Republicans on the committee subpoena the Trump administration in order to get documents that he said reveal its collaboration with an anti-abortion group to fight Planned Parenthood.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked committee chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., on Tuesday to subpoena the Health and Human Services for the documents. The request is related to a whistleblower who told Cummings an anti-abortion law group called Alliance for Defending Freedom played a role in rescinding federal guidance that made it harder for states to defund Planned Parenthood.
“[T]he Trump administration has provided no response whatsoever, has produced none of the documents that were requested, and has denied none of these allegations,” Cummings wrote, referring to earlier requests he made of HHS.
Cummings added that the documents already provided by the whistleblower show the alliance worked with the Trump administration on that decision last month. In January, the Trump administration sent a letter to state Medicaid directors to tell them that guidance issued in 2016 that said it was against the law to strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funding was being rescinded.
Cummings said documents from the whistleblower show that the Alliance Defending Freedom sent a first draft to HHS that was finalized a week later.
The alliance is a conservative Christian legal advocacy organization that focuses on religious liberty. The Southern Poverty Law Center charges that it supports extreme anti-LGBTQ policies.
On Feb. 12, Cummings wrote to acting HHS Secretary Eric Hargan seeking documents surrounding the collaboration with the group. Cummings said he has gotten no response, which is why a subpoena is needed.
The subpoena would seek documents including any emails between HHS staff and the alliance. House Oversight and HHS did not respond to requests for comment.
