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"To be clear, what happened to these children should never happen in this country," said subcommittee Chairwoman Diana DeGette, D-Colorado. "On behalf of the American people, we are here today to understand exactly what happened, why it happened and what needs to make sure that -- be done to make sure that -- it never happens again."

“There is no evidence that HHS leaders ever tried to stop this abhorrent policy,” said subcommittee leader Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat. “As the agency dedicated to the health and welfare of children, we need to know why.”

Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette oversaw a congressional hearing Thursday on a Trump administration immigration policy that separated thousands of migrant children from their parents if they entered the United States illegally.

"We had hoped the agency would promptly cooperate with our committee as we fulfill our oversight responsibility -- but, unfortunately, it appears that's not going to be the case," said Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, who heads the panel, in a statement to CNN. "HHS's refusal to comply with this routine request is just the latest in what seems to be a new trend that's emerging across the board under this administration."

"The Republican majority was willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt, and we are not going to be waiting for it work out. If kids are going to be taken from their parents at the border, we are going to be immediately investigating it," said Rep. Diana DeGette, the chair of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on investigations. "It says we are not afraid to exercise our Article 1 prerogative of oversight of the executive branch."