Biden-Harris administration uses HHS resources to praise Harris and help her presidential run

A recent action by the Biden-Harris administration is raising questions about their apparent use of the power and money of the federal government to attempt to boost the presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris. The latest such effort involves sending out a message in the form of an e-mail blast to everyone signed up to receive email updates from the Department of Health and Human Services about Medicare. 

On Friday, the HHS sent out a letter from President Joe Biden citing “historic reforms” to Medicare, which is used by 66 million people. The letter credits the work of Harris for these reforms, mainly by pointing out that she cast the tie-breaking vote on the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, according to The Daily Wire.  

“These historic reforms are a result of the Inflation Reduction Act that I signed into law and that Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to secure,” the email reads. “These are just some of the ways my Administration has worked to help you save money on your health care costs and to provide a little more breathing room for you and your families,” the email says.

The letter credits the administration with “lowering health care costs” for seniors and “save[ing] money for American taxpayers,” for example. “Vice President Harris and I believe that health care should be a right, not a privilege,” the letter states. 

There are legal issues for the administration that this email touches on. For one, Federal Election Commission rules and the Hatch Act generally prohibit taxpayer-funded agencies and its employees from engaging in political campaign activities. 

This isn’t the first time there have been serious questions about the Biden-Harris administration crossing an ethical and perhaps legal line in this area. 

Shortly after coming into office in 2021, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14019, called “Promoting Access to Voting.” It directed federal agencies to use agency personnel and resources to help the public register to vote and cast ballots, arguing that “many Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to exercising th[eir] fundamental right” to vote. 

The Heritage Foundation took a look at how this Executive Order is being used, and it raises many questions. 

“It is a dangerous thing for government officials to use resources derived from taxpayers who hold an array of political beliefs in order to obtain an advantage over their political rivals in an upcoming election,” wrote Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. 

"Further, the executive branch has no constitutional or statutory authority to engage in voter registration and absentee ballot activities with only certain specified exceptions, none of which are relevant to the executive order. This executive order violates multiple federal laws and could cause members of the public who interact with federal agencies to feel intimidated and coerced.”

Whether Congress, the FEC or the media takes any interest in this latest development regarding the use of federal funds and power to influence the upcoming election remains to be seen.