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WASHINGTON – Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona lambasting the Department of Education’s incompetence after it failed its annual audit for the second consecutive year. Chairwoman Foxx stands firm in her authority under the rules of the House of Representatives to direct Secretary Cardona to appear before the Committee to answer for the Department’s failures under his leadership.
 
In the letter, Foxx and Smucker write: “Your Department has again failed America’s hardworking taxpayers . . . . [T]he Department has failed an audit two years in a row, been derelict in its duties, and continues to make up estimates it cannot defend to its auditor. We are deeply disturbed by this administration’s bungling, general ineptness, and deliberate wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. The American people deserve better.” 
 
The lawmakers continue: “Rule XI, Clause 2(o) of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to hold a hearing on ‘disclaimers of agency financial statements’ issued by an auditor. As earlier referenced, KPMG issued a Disclaimer of Opinion on the Department’s FY2023 financial statements on November 16, 2023. Given the requirement of Rule XI and the need for oversight of the Department’s failures, the Committee insists upon your personal testimony at a hearing, imminently. We will be in communication with you about a February hearing date. We expect you to be fully knowledgeable and conversant with the matters raised in the auditor’s report and to provide complete answers to Members’ questions at the hearing.”
 
The lawmakers conclude: “Secretary Cardona, it is imperative that you understand and take responsibility for the Department’s failures. The Department’s bungling, dereliction of duties, and general disregard for the interests of the taxpayer are an embarrassment. The Nation deserves better.” 
 
To read the full letter, click here. 

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