Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) demanded that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provide information by October 31, 2012, on the use of taxpayer dollars on contracts promoting the Democrats’ health care law through public relations campaigns, advertisements, polling, message testing, and similar services.  Should HHS fail to voluntarily provide documents by this date, the Committee will be forced to consider issuing a subpoena compelling the Department to make the information available.  

To date, media reports have highlighted that HHS has spent millions of taxpayer dollars to promote the Democrats’ health care law.  This includes costly contracts to drive Internet traffic to pro-ObamaCare websites and produce television commercials promoting the Administration’s positions.  Obama Administration officials have also discussed using taxpayer funds to push prime-time television shows to add dialogue touting the health care law.

Despite repeated requests and promises that materials would be forthcoming, HHS has failed to provide any information.  In response the Chairmen wrote, “The Administration’s failure to provide a single responsive document to the Committee’s reasonable requests leaves only two possibilities: either the Department is unable to keep track of the work products it buys with taxpayer dollars or the Department is trying to delay any response until after this year’s election.”