Democrats want to hear about the Trump administration’s immigration policies that lead to families being separated at the border.
But Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday declined their request to testify about the implementation and fall-out from the zero-tolerance policy before an the oversight subcommittee, which is under the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The policy, in effect since last April, refers all illegal immigrants for prosecution. Because children cannot be be jailed or held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody with their parents, they were transferred to HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement.
“It has been eight months since this cruel policy came to light, and Secretary Azar has yet to appear before Congress at a hearing specifically on this policy,” Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said in a statement Tuesday. “The stonewalling must end, and Secretary Azar must agree to appear before the Committee to answer questions and take accountability for his agency’s actions. His denial to appear before the Committee in the coming weeks on the Family Separation Policy is unacceptable, and we are going to get him here at some point one way or another.”
A spokesperson for Azar, who has led the department for the past year, said the invitation to testify was for the subcommittee, not the regular committee.
HHS offered to send Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, Commander Jonathan White, and acting Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Jonathan Hayes to testify before the subcommittee.
“Secretary Azar has spoken directly with Chairman Pallone and is committed to the welfare of the children in HHS care. As the HHS Secretary, he understands and appreciates the important role of Congressional Oversight,” the spokesperson said in an email to Washington Examiner.
In addition, the Cabinet official’s spokesman said his staff have had numerous closed-door conversations with the committee on the issue, as well as more than 100 lawmakers visit HHS facilities where minors were held at the peak of family separations early last summer.
Pallone said the HHS inspector general report released last week on additional children possibly being separated from parents who illegally entered the country warrants a hearing.
