The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working with a left-wing advocacy group to boost voter turnout as part of President Joe Biden’s executive order directing federal agencies to get involved in elections.
The USDA worked directly with Demos, a New York-based group that helped draft Biden’s Executive Order 14019, according to records obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.)
Biden signed his order on agencies and voter registration in March 2021. On Aug. 9, 2021, Demos’ Adam Lioz emailed USDA officials, many in the office of Secretary Tom Vilsack, under the subject line: “Demos Meeting on Voting Rights EO.”
“Team USDA, with apologies for the delay, I wanted to follow up and thank you all for all your time and a productive conversation,” wrote Lioz, who was Demos’ senior counsel and political director before departing in September 2021. “As we noted, we’ll have our ‘best practices’ slides ready in the next 1-2 weeks and in the meantime, y’all had asked for data on voter registration at the state level, which I’ve pasted below.”
Lioz, now a senior policy counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, continued: “We’re eager to schedule follow up conversations to dig into specific programs and help with integration in any way we can. Just let us know when you are available for that.”
My book “The Myth of Voter Suppression” details how Demos helped develop Executive Order 10419 in December 2020, weeks before Biden was inaugurated. The book also exposes the extent to which the order directed public agencies to be involved in what Republican lawmakers have called a partisan get-out-the-vote operation.
“Biden has turned the entire federal government into a leftist voter-turnout operation,” Tom Fitton, president of the government watchdog group Judicial Watch, said of the documents in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
As The Daily Signal previously reported, the Biden administration carved out paid administrative leave to encourage federal bureaucrats and other employees—seen as a loyal Democrat constituency—to volunteer as poll workers during elections.
The Daily Signal also reported that federal agencies are working with Demos and other liberal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
Biden’s initiative includes the Department of Homeland Security’s registration of voters during naturalization ceremonies, the Department of Education’s promotion of voting at high schools and colleges, and agencies’ work with private, nonprofit organizations to increase voter turnout.
Many congressional Republicans have joined government watchdog groups in expressing concern about agencies’ engaging in partisan political activity under Biden’s executive order, in violation of laws such as the Hatch Act.
The records obtained by Heritage’s Oversight Project include the USDA’s directions to employees on how to avoid violating the Hatch Act.
Neither the Department of Agriculture nor Demos responded to inquiries from The Daily Signal before publication of this report.
Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for The Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.”
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Yes, I read about this a few months ago. Just another one of the many ways the Democrats are working non-stop to ensure they retain power going forward. The people at the top of the Democrat party are NOT stupid, nor are they lazy. Their voters might be nothing but useful idiots, but the socialist / Marxist leadership at the top of the party running things is looking to fill in the gaps in areas they missed in 2020. They are covering all the bases ahead of the actual vote to ensure they have enough “votes”, one way or another, to retain current control and extend it further to try to control both chambers of Congress.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
What we need is EDUCATED VOTERS, not more who only remember the last 30-second sound bite they heard or who promised them the largest handout.
Republicans are practicing politics of diplomacy.
Democrats are practicing politics of annihilation.
yet another illegal act by another corrupt democrat run part of the government.
This is why the republicans need to get into power and cut the federal governemtn by 60% and then cut all budgets by 70%.
My problem with so many of these stories, is that they are reported- but then that’s it. No accountability for any of these criminals. It’s that same double standard. The Republican Party had better get their butts in motion and start or none of them will have jobs. All these people are slimy, disqusting hypocrites.
In direct violation of the Hatch Act you think?
This administration is very good at breaking, skirting, or otherwise ignoring laws.
Very interesting indeed and thanks very much for sharing this, dirty deals
Sounds like a futuristic plan to FUBAR THE COUNTRY IN PERPETUITY! ????
O.K. is FJB a king or a president?What happened to the good of this country?I would step up, but I only have one solution!
“Thank you for being a motivational architect, constructing bridges of determination and perseverance in your posts!”
Sadly, this is the AGENDA of the left, to remove every vestige of all the wonderful, wholesome, generous, loving nature of our glorious country! That is their ultimate goal.The end times are coming and they are ushering it in. It will be very scary for them when the time comes. God have mercy on us.
The Romans had the right answer. DECIMATION! We need to eliminate ten percent of the federal government… but, WITHOUT any BLOODSHED. Make a list of federal departments and agencies and personnel. THEN, eliminate every tenth one. That’ll be a good start to begin draining the SWAMP.
Now the Communist USDA is budding up with WHO saying there is going to be a Meat Shortage later this year so they can raise prices and keep us from eating meat. NO BS. This is a total leftist move. They do NOT want us to enjoy eating meat or any kind of animal or fish. They want us to eat ALGAE. This is NO Joke. Just look at how much smaller food products are and getting even smaller with higher prices as Bidenflation keeps going Up.
This is intentional.
Better raise hell if I were you.
Crooked Biden needs to stopped. How long will his administration be allowed to cheat in elections.
Who is the girl scouts gonna back. ???? Kyle L.
No easy way to foward this article to my friends any suggestions fri an apple mobile phone!
The US Democratic Party is ushering in a slave world, destroying all that is good.
Commenter, “fred u” is a definite troll sadly a liar or both.