Michigan House Oversight Committee Subpoenas MDHHS Director Hertel

Michigan's bureaucrats seem to think they are still protected by the Democrat Trifecta:

https://www.themidwesterner.news/2025/07/house-oversight-committee-subpoenas-mdhhs-director-hertel-to-force-testimony/

House Oversight Committee subpoenas MDHHS Director Hertel to force testimony
Compels Hertel to testify before the committee on September 9
By Travers Koory - July 23, 2025

The Michigan House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to approve a subpoena requiring Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel to appear before lawmakers this September.

The decision follows what lawmakers described as months of DHHS stonewalling.

The subpoena, introduced by Rep. Jason Woolford, R-Howell, compels Hertel to testify before the committee on September 9.

“The legislature has a right to know the information about the programs being implemented by the state of Michigan or one of its departments,” Woolford said. “It appears that MDHHS is repeatedly stonewalling the House and its subcommittees.”

Woolford said the subpoena was necessary due to a lack of cooperation from MDHHS officials during ongoing investigations by three Oversight subcommittees. The Subcommittee on Child Welfare, for example, has spent months probing concerns with Child Protective Services and residential care facilities. But despite numerous hearings, MDHHS representatives have offered “unsatisfactory answers,” often claiming that only Hertel could properly respond.

Another panel, the Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs, has questioned how DHHS verifies eligibility for public benefits. MDHHS officials have repeatedly cited federal requirements to justify their protocols, but according to Woolford, they’ve refused to identify which guidelines they’re referring to, and in some cases, have declined to testify altogether.

“These subcommittees have sought the cooperation of MDHHS in providing testimony and documents,” Woolford said. “The department has been resistant to adequate, timely, and transparent cooperation.”

Woolford also noted that Hertel declined invitations to testify on July 22 and July 29, providing no future dates when she would be available voluntarily.

The approved subpoena now requires Hertel to appear under oath on September 9, marking a significant escalation in the legislature’s effort to obtain answers from one of Michigan’s largest and most powerful agencies.

The vote reflects growing frustration among the representatives who have accused the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services of evading oversight on key issues related to child safety and public assistance programs.