{"id":2222202,"date":"2024-04-16T11:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T15:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-department-doubles-down-on-taxpayer-funded-gotv-using-college-students\/"},"modified":"2024-04-16T11:09:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T15:09:10","slug":"biden-education-department-doubles-down-on-taxpayer-funded-gotv-using-college-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-department-doubles-down-on-taxpayer-funded-gotv-using-college-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration Increases Voter Outreach Efforts Through College Students&#8217; Involvement"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-education-department-doubles-down-on-taxpayer-funded-gotv-using-college-students%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2222202&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Education responds to\u2062 concerns about Federal Work-Study funds used for voter registration. Critics \u200cquestion the legality and partisanship of the\u200c scheme, highlighting potential ethical issues \u200band \u200bpolitical influences. The Biden \u200badministration&#8217;s\u200b expansive voter engagement initiatives raise questions about \u2064election integrity and the \u200cgovernment&#8217;s role \u2063in elections. \u200cCriticism surrounds the\u200b U.S. Department of Education&#8217;s \u200cuse of Federal Work-Study funds for\u2062 voter \u2064registration, with concerns about legality,\u200d partisanship, ethics, and political influences. The Biden administration&#8217;s voter engagement efforts spark debate \u200bon \u2063election integrity and the government&#8217;s involvement\u200b in elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has finally responded to congressional concerns about the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/fsapartners.ed.gov\/knowledge-center\/library\/dear-colleague-letters\/2024-02-26\/use-federal-work-study-funds-voter-registration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cclarification\u201d<\/a> that allows <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/programs\/fws\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Work-Study<\/a> (FWS) funds to pay college students for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-ways-the-feds-are-using-bidenbucks-to-rig-the-2024-election\/\" title=\"9 Ways the Federal Government is Manipulating the 2024 Election with 'Bidenbucks\">voter registration initiatives<\/a>, according to a letter obtained by The Federalist. <\/p>\n<p>In the response, a lackey for President Joe Biden\u2019s Education Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/news\/staff\/bios\/cardona.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Miguel\u00a0Cardona<\/a> bureaucratically told the chairs of two House committees that the Education Department is going to do what it wants \u2014 congressional authority and the Constitution be damned.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2043235163\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4619e68ac7679d934f2032953e558328 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4619e68ac7679d934f2032953e558328\"><\/div>\n<p>The FWS \u201ccivic engagement\u201d scheme is part of the broader <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/15\/bidenbucks-make-zuckbucks-look-like-chump-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bidenbucks<\/a> push, using the resources of the federal government for a massive get-out-the-vote effort assisted by \u201capproved\u201d leftist activist groups to target traditional Democrat constituencies.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Appearance of Impropriety\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On March 12, U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., sent Cardona a <a href=\"https:\/\/cha.house.gov\/_cache\/files\/0\/e\/0ea63534-9439-45ae-9720-a619dafede9f\/EC3D00A12892278CC5FF0D37D3A5C296.biden-work-study-gotv-letter-to-vf-mm-96-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter <\/a>asking his agency to retract its Feb. 26 <a href=\"https:\/\/fsapartners.ed.gov\/knowledge-center\/library\/dear-colleague-letters\/2024-02-26\/use-federal-work-study-funds-voter-registration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dear Colleague Letter<\/a> providing \u201cupdated guidance\u201d to conveniently allow Federal Work-Study funds to be used to pay students to do \u201ccivic engagement work\u201d  for government employers such as voter registration, GOTV, and working at the polls. The lawmakers\u2019 request, also signed by the committees\u2019 vice chairs, sought \u201call internal memos, reports, and information that discuss the Department\u2019s decision to issue the 2024 DCL [Dear Colleague Letter],\u201d among other documents. Steil and Foxx also wanted to know just how the agency will ensure FWS funds aren\u2019t used for political activity. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn addition to this action appearing to be partisan and political, your new interpretation raises serious legal questions, and we urge the Administration to retract its recent memorandum,\u201d the congressional <a href=\"https:\/\/cha.house.gov\/_cache\/files\/0\/e\/0ea63534-9439-45ae-9720-a619dafede9f\/EC3D00A12892278CC5FF0D37D3A5C296.biden-work-study-gotv-letter-to-vf-mm-96-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> stated. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen taxpayer dollars are solely responsible for students engaging in these activities in the face of the Administration\u2019s ongoing reelection campaign, the appearance of impropriety should have been more than enough for the Department not to move forward with the DCL,\u201d the lawmakers added. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-36aeaab7874bcf01bb6cdcd4c11d60e0 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-36aeaab7874bcf01bb6cdcd4c11d60e0\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018New and Concerning Heights\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Vice President Kamala Harris in late February held a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4r_aQMng8SQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press conference<\/a> to lay out Democrats\u2019 \u201cfour-part strategy\u201d to \u201cprotect the freedom to vote.\u201d The strategy ramps up Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/03\/07\/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Executive Order 14019<\/a>, which deputizes federal agencies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congressional-republicans-deploy-election-observers-to-investigate-irregularities-in-tight-races\/\" title=\"Congressional Republicans Deploy Election Observers to Investigate Irregularities in Tight Races\">expand voter registration<\/a> and turnout \u2014 using \u201capproved\u201d third-party organizations to help get the GOTV job done.\u00a0The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, will \u201cemail information on how to register to vote to everyone who enrolls\u201d under the Affordable Care Act. The Social Security Administration\u2019s approximately 1,200 offices nationwide will display signs from <a href=\"http:\/\/vote.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vote.gov<\/a>, the U.S. voter information site. And college students, a reliable Democrat voting bloc, will help register voters and serve as \u201cnonpartisan poll workers.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we know this is important for a number of reasons. One, to engage our young leaders in this process and activate them in terms of their ability to strengthen our communities. But also this is the work that we need to do knowing that so many poll workers have left this work for a variety of reasons,\u201d Harris said. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/29\/feds-will-pay-students-your-tax-dollars-to-help-reelect-biden-in-latest-bidenbucks-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Feds Will Pay Students Your Tax Dollars To Help Reelect Biden, In Latest \u2018Bidenbucks\u2019 Scheme<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But such volunteers are typically drawn from the partisan world. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/elections-and-campaigns\/election-poll-workers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to<\/a> the National Conference of State Legislatures, \u201c48 states mandate a specific political party makeup of poll workers. \u2026 In many states, poll workers must be nominated by the local chapter of their political party to serve in affiliation with that party.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-41709b7a257915fc88b713b7b36e1d38 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-41709b7a257915fc88b713b7b36e1d38\"><\/div>\n<p>The Biden administration\u2019s extraordinary \u2014 and constitutionally suspect \u2014 use of executive powers to expand the federal government\u2019s role in elections raises a host of election integrity and separation of powers questions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaken alone, the activities newly permitted by the DCL may seem beneficial, but when they are funded with taxpayer money, the risk of government tipping the scales in favor of a candidate, position, or party reaches new and concerning heights,\u201d the congressional committee letter states. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Civic Participation\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Nasser H. Paydar, assistant secretary of DOE\u2019s Office of Postsecondary Education, says there\u2019s nothing to worry about, folks. He\u2019s \u201cpleased to respond and clarify certain points from the Department\u2019s recent Dear Colleague Letter.\u201d Chief among them, Paydar asserts, is that the funds can\u2019t be used for work with a \u201cparticular interest or group.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The agency\u2019s 2022 letter stated that students could receive FWS pay for nonpartisan voter registration activities \u201cif a student is employed directly by a postsecondary institution\u201d but not if a student is employed \u201cby a Federal, State, or local public agency.\u201d The recent Dear Colleague Letter \u201cclarified\u201d that FWS funds actually <em>can<\/em> be used for student employment by a federal, state, local, or tribal government entity for \u201ccivic engagement work.\u201d Such work includes \u201cbroad-based get-out-the-vote activities, voter registration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-will-pay-students-your-tax-dollars-to-help-reelect-biden-in-latest-bidenbucks-scheme\/\" title=\"Students will receive financial assistance from the government to support Biden's reelection campaign, funded by taxpayers, in the new 'Bidenbucks' initiative\">providing voter assistance<\/a> at a polling place or through a voter hotline, or serving as a poll worker \u2014 if the student is employed by a government entity that performs this work, which is already funded with taxpayer dollars,\u201d Paydar informs Steil in his response letter.<\/p>\n<p>He stresses again and again that the work must be in the \u201cpublic interest\u201d and it can\u2019t be partisan.\u00a0The February Dear Colleague Letter \u2014 which Paydar also wrote \u2014 says the Higher Education Act \u201cspecifically provides that funds may be used to compensate students employed in projects that \u2018increase civic participation.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven that this work is permissible only when it is within the scope of work of a government or tribal agency and only when it is not associated with a faction in an election for public or party office, it is not permissible for FWS funds to be used to \u2018tip the scale in favor of a candidate, position, or party,\u2019 as suggested in your letter,\u201d Paydar dismissively tells Steil and Foxx.<\/p>\n<p>But remember what civic participation is to the far-left Biden administration. It\u2019s getting leftist groups that are \u201cnonpartisan\u201d in name only to participate in the \u201ccivic engagement\u201d projects. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nonpartisan Players? <\/h2>\n<p>Harris signaled where the initiative is heading the same day she announced the federalized voter registration campaign. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur democracy could not function without nonpartisan poll workers like Vasu and Rob whom I met in Georgia. President Biden and I thank you and we support you,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/kamala-harris-praises-nonpartisan-poll-worker-immediately-backfires-people-learn-really\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted<\/a> on X on Feb. 27, along with a photo of her with Vasu Abhiraman. <\/p>\n<p>As the social media platform\u2019s \u201cCommunity Notes\u201d pointed out, Abhiraman is \u201ca staffer at the left-wing Alliance for Justice and formerly of ACLU Georgia.\u201d The alliance, as activist tracker InfluenceWatch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/alliance-for-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>, is a left-of-center group \u201cbest known for the Judicial Selection Project, which seeks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-group-defends-donor-privacy-as-sheldon-whitehouse-demands-disclosures\/\" title=\"Conservative Group Defends Donor Privacy as Sheldon Whitehouse Demands Disclosures\">promote left-wing<\/a> and Democratic-appointed judges while defeating conservative and Republican-appointed judges. The project has helped to turn the process of nominating judges into a highly partisan process.\u201d Left-wing billionaire George Soros\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/open-society-foundations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Open Society Foundations<\/a> is a funder of the group, according to InfuenceWatch. <\/p>\n<p>While the Alliance for Justice and the ACLU \u201cmay operate under the tax code as \u2018nonpartisan\u2019 groups, they are certainly not neutral,\u201d Steil and Foxx noted in their letter to Cardona. \u201cAmericans are well aware that both groups have very strong, left-leaning ties. As such, voters cannot trust that this new program will not run afoul of federal law or be used by partisan students to help their political party win an election.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"tqYxSoBWls\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Our democracy could not function without nonpartisan poll workers like Vasu and Rob whom I met in Georgia.<\/p>\n<p>President Biden and I thank you and we support you. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0zuXrrGdDY\">pic.twitter.com\/0zuXrrGdDY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VP\/status\/1762491168917516552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Steil and Foxx asserted that it appears the Education Department is treading on the \u201cpublic interest\u201d provisions with its new guidance. Congress has provided <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/us\/title-52-voting-and-elections\/52-usc-sect-30101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">definitions<\/a> for what \u201cget-out-the-vote\u201d and \u201cvoter registration activity\u201d mean, and the terms are associated \u201cwith political activity,\u201d the lawmakers noted. The Dear Colleague letter, however, leaves its definitions of allowable activities under the FWS program \u201copen to interpretation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Americans to have confidence in our elections, it is crucial that Federal Work-Study funds are not diverted toward voter initiative drives, including get-out-the-vote efforts,\u201d Steil told The Federalist. \u201cYet, the Department of Education\u2019s response raises doubts about their commitment to nonpartisan use of taxpayer money, as it explicitly plans to use these funds for voter registration.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1e5f6569747fa7e80f945ad52eb4d652 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1e5f6569747fa7e80f945ad52eb4d652\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Education addresses congressional worries over Federal Work-Study funding for voter registration. In a letter revealed by The Federalist, an aide to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tactfully responds to concerns from lawmakers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2222203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screenshot-2024-04-15-at-11.46.03-PM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2222202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screenshot-2024-04-15-at-11.46.03-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2222202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2222203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2222202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2222202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2222202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}