Portman letter highlights failure of Obama's Department of Health and Human Services to answer bipartisan inquiry
U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), lead Republican on the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, today sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressing his deep concern that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has yet to comply with the bipartisan oversight request sent by him and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in February concerning tens of millions of taxpayer dollars spent on public relations and advertising.
Similar inquiries regarding public relations and media spending were made to 10 other federal agencies, and HHS was the only one that did not respond to the request.
“In February, I asked HHS and 10 other federal agencies for a complete account of how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. Every agency except HHS was able to adequately answer my simple and specific inquiry,” Portman said.
“The Department’s failure to cooperate with this bipartisan inquiry calls into question its commitment to transparency, particularly in an Administration that once pledged to be the most transparent in history.
"Perhaps they’re nervous that during an election year, Americans will not be pleased that Washington wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars trying to convince them that its unaffordable health care law isn’t all that bad. Families and businesses are hurting during this time of weak economic growth and record deficits; finding out that their hard-earned tax dollars were used to advertise an unpopular law would be hard to accept.”
In the letter, Portman asks Secretary Sebelius to “take immediate action to respond appropriately to the Subcommittee’s legitimate oversight request concerning taxpayer-funded advertising.”
According to the federal procurement database, HHS has spent at least $183 million on public relations and media expenses. And according to the Los Angeles Times, HHS is footing the bill for 60 percent of all spending to promote the health-care bill.
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In February, as Ranking Member and Chair, respectively, of the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, Portman and McCaskill sent HHS and 10 other federal agencies a request for information on contracts for the acquisition of public relations, publicity, advertising, communications, or similar services from 2009 to the present. Every agency but HHS has responded to the inquiry.
In May, Portman followed up with a letter to Sebelius demanding specific information concerning a new reported $20 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign to promote the president’s health care spending law.
In August, HHS responded with a letter that failed to provide a complete account of how they are using taxpayer dollars. The letter provided none of the information requested by Portman and McCaskill in February.