High Country Times

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx has sent a letter to Acting Secretary Su, urging the Department of Labor (DOL) to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee. The subpoena is part of an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration's actions concerning independent contractors.

Foxx expressed concerns about the administration's approach, stating: “The Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) is continuing its investigation of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to eliminate the use of the independent contractor model under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This letter follows numerous attempts by the Committee to secure full responses from the Department of Labor (DOL) on this matter, including a duly executed subpoena that was served on you on September 23, 2024. DOL’s most recent response amounts to a failure to comply with the subpoena and is another glaring example of the Biden-Harris administration’s hostility to Congress and its duty to conduct oversight.”

Foxx criticized DOL's October 7 response as inadequate: “On October 7, DOL transmitted its response to the Committee’s September 23 subpoena. This response would have been deficient in answer to any congressional inquiry but is especially inadequate following the Committee’s issuance of a subpoena. … DOL’s October 7 response did not fulfill or absolve you of your obligation to respond to the Committee’s subpoena.”

The letter concludes with Foxx reiterating expectations for compliance: “The Committee still expects you to provide complete productions in response to the document schedule of the subpoena. While DOL’s October 7 response claims that protecting ‘investigative information is an important law enforcement interest and implicates executive branch confidentially interests,’ the Committee advises you that these are not recognized privileges sufficient for you to withhold information from Congress. The Committee, therefore, directs you to respond pursuant to the Committee’s September 23 subpoena compelling you to provide the documents and communications delineated in the attached schedule of documents by no later than October 30, 2024.”

To access more details about this correspondence, one can refer directly through available links.