House Democrats Join DeGette in Calling on Speaker Ryan to Disband the Select Panel
Washington, DC – Almost every House Democrat joined Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) and her co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, Louise Slaughter (D-NY), in a letter calling on House Speaker Paul Ryan to disband the Select Investigative Panel due to continued, escalating abuses that jeopardize Americans' safety. The panel's reckless disregard has escalated to include 36 subpoenas sent to researchers and health care providers, including a physician who was recently identified by name.
"The onus is on you to put an end to this witch hunt," the letter said. "You cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the serious risks presented by the panel and still claim to fulfill your responsibilities as Speaker. We implore you not to stand idly by while tax dollars are spent on a baseless investigation that endangers women, scientists, health providers, and others involved in women's health care and biomedical research."
The panel’s investigation has never been fair or fact-based. Through unilateral subpoenas, Chairman Marsha Blackburn is trying to force universities and clinics to turn over the names of their researchers, graduate students, lab and clinic staff and doctors for no legitimate congressional reason. Many people contacted by the panel have expressed fear for their safety if identified in connection with this investigation, with some repeatedly described by the Chairman and other Republicans in misleading and inflammatory terms.
The members of Congress have requested a written response from Speaker Ryan by June 6th.
For further reading about the letter and the history of the Panel, please see this article in The Washington Post.