A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, alleging that a taxpayer-funded email sent by the Biden-Harris administration to Medicare recipients was a violation of the Hatch Act.
The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust (FACT) claims the email was entirely political, using government resources to promote Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the election.
The email, sent in September by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), praised Harris and credited her for recent Medicare reforms. The message, addressed to those signed up for Medicare updates, touted the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to lower healthcare costs for seniors, specifically noting Harris’ tie-breaking vote as a key factor in implementing these benefits.
The Biden administration using the Medicare recipient email list to push pro-Kamala political messaging to 66 million people is the kind of egregious abuse of power that would dominate airwaves if Trump did it. https://t.co/6FBAmHoGgO
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) October 28, 2024
Kendra Arnold, FACT’s executive director, penned the complaint to Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, arguing that Secretary Xavier Becerra and other federal employees may have violated the Hatch Act by distributing a political message using taxpayer resources. “The email was entirely political in both its purpose and language,” Arnold stated, emphasizing that it was sent from an official government email address and appeared to act as a campaign message for Harris.
Arnold highlighted the unsolicited nature of the email, which was funded by HHS and used the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identification rolls, potentially reaching millions of recipients. She argued that the email, presented as an official government communication, crossed the line into political advocacy. “This type of politicalization of government functions is exactly what the Hatch Act is meant to prevent,” the letter stated.
Several recipients voiced their dissatisfaction with the email, telling The Daily Wire that it felt more like a campaign ad than an official update. One recipient described the message as “nothing but a campaign ad for the Biden Administration and Kamala Harris.”
Arnold called the potential misuse of government data “egregious and outrageous,” stressing the severity of the situation. “This example is so obvious, brazen and over-the-top that not acting on it would be a significant blow to the integrity of the law,” she said, urging the Office of Special Counsel to investigate.
FACT, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., aims to promote accountability and ethics in government. It now awaits action from the Office of Special Counsel to determine whether Secretary Becerra and other federal employees violated the Hatch Act through their email campaign.
It’s true, Biden and Harris were caught funneling billions of taxpayer funds into Medicare to try and lower premiums before the election, there is several emails regarding it and Kamala was the tie breaking vote in the Senate as VP to allow it to passhttps://t.co/IitfPmJFEd
— Zoro (@lostzoro77) October 23, 2024
