Two American Indian Congresswomen Vote for Bill to Enforce Subpoenas in Court

Rep. Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo and Rep. Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk)

Published June 12, 2019

WASHINGTON — The only two American Indian women members of Congress voted to pass H.Res.430, a resolution allowing congressional committee chairs to enforce subpoenas in court if their requests go ignored.

Tuesday’s vote was made mainly along party line with the House voting 229-191 to pass the Civil Contempt and Subpoena Enforcement Resolution.

Rep. Sharice Davids, a tribal citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation, issued the following statement on her vote for, Civil Contempt and Subpoena Enforcement Resolution:

“The Department of Justice must be nonpartisan and uphold the rule of law. Likewise, the leader of that department – the Attorney General – must always be independent and focused on doing the right thing, regardless of the politics.

“But Attorney General Barr has refused to release an unredacted version of the Mueller report and its underlying evidence to Congress – even after the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena. This is a dangerous disregard for congressional oversight and accountability, an important function of Congress as a co-equal branch of government.

“The Civil Contempt and Subpoena Enforcement Resolution helps to enforce Congress’ subpoena power so we can gather critical information that matters in the lives of the people we represent, and compels Barr to provide key evidence underlying the Mueller report, as well as the unredacted report itself, that Congress needs to assess Mueller’s findings.

As a lawyer, I understand that this is about the rule of law. 

In this country, if you are supposed to show up in court and you don’t go, there are real consequences. A subpoena from Congress is no different. This resolution is an important step to ensure Congress can continue to perform its oversight function and to ensure that no one is above the law.”

Rep. Deb Haaland, a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, tweeted: “There is a mass coverup at the White House. Congress needs to access to the paper trail, so we deliver the truth.”