U.S. Rep. James Comer representing Kentucky's 1st Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. James Comer representing Kentucky's 1st Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has issued subpoenas to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack. The subpoenas demand documents related to the development of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, focusing specifically on recommendations concerning alcohol consumption.
The Committee initially requested these documents on April 4, 2024, but both HHS and USDA have not fully complied. According to the Committee, responses from both agencies were incomplete despite multiple follow-up requests.
“It has now been 179 days since the Committee’s initial request, and HHS has produced only 31 non-publicly available documents. As a result, the attached subpoena is being issued pursuant to the authority delegated to the Chairman of the Committee under Rule XI, clause 2(m)(1)(B) of the Rules of the House of Representatives and Rule 12(g) of the Committee’s Rules,” Chairman Comer wrote to HHS Secretary Becerra.
The Oversight Committee is concerned that HHS may be overstepping its role in developing alcohol consumption guidelines despite USDA's shared responsibility in formulating these guidelines along with directives from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
“The Committee’s April 4 request for documents and communications was intended to enable oversight of USDA’s duty to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and participation in the ICCPUD Subcommittee for Alcohol Intake and Health. The Committee’s request set deadlines for USDA to provide a staff briefing by April 11 and to produce the requested information by April 18. USDA, however, did not schedule the briefing or produce any documents or communications by those dates,” Chairman Comer wrote to Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack.
READ MORE: Comer, McClain Probe Formulation of Alcohol Consumption Guidelines
Read the subpoena cover letter to HHS Secretary Becerra here.
Read the subpoena cover letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary here.
Alerts Sign-up