Ranking Member Scott Calls on Watchdog to Investigate Whether or Not HHS Lied in Litigation

Ranking Member Scott Calls on Watchdog to Investigate Whether or Not HHS Lied in Litigation

WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03) urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General to investigate HHS's potential submission of inconsistent or fraudulent information in active litigation.

On February 6, 2025, Ranking Member Scott called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the security of HHS's information technology (IT) systems after reports that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) accessed data from various government agencies. However, HHS has refused to comply with GAO's requests, citing potential discrepancies between what was produced in litigation and would be provided to GAO.

Furthermore, during the Committee's oversight hearing on April 17, 2026, Secretary Kennedy could not provide a clarification when questioned by Ranking Member Scott whether the Department is providing false or inaccurate information in litigation and failed to follow up with information on the matter.

"On May 17, 2026, I wrote to Secretary Kennedy to follow-up and request a detailed explanation about what the Department meant when it informed GAO that it could not cooperate or accommodate an observational walkthrough, artifacts, screenshots, and other documentation out of concern for discrepancies with what HHS produced in litigation and what it would provide to GAO, and whether HHS did provide false, incomplete, or inaccurate information in litigation.6 I have given the Department ample opportunity to respond to my requests and refute the assertion that it has provided misinformation to one or more courts and yet have received no response to date," wrote Ranking Member Scott.

"Accordingly, given the serious nature of the allegation, I request the Office of Inspector General to initiate an investigation immediately of whether HHS has provided false, incomplete, or inaccurate information, materials, items, or other documentation in litigation since January 20, 2025."

To read the full letter to HHS Inspector General Thomas March Bell, click here.

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