Press Releases

Today, Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky and the Select Panel Democratic Members sent a letter to Chair Marsha Blackburn to condemn the process by which the Panel has conducted its work to date and request a Panel vote on the Democrats’ proposed investigative plan and rules.  Republicans have continued to exclude Democrats, persisted in sending out dangerous and overbroad document requests, and even failed to hold an initial organizational meeting.

In the letter the members write, “We write now to request that you set a date for an initial organizational meeting of the Panel, and, at that meeting, hold a Committee vote on the rules and the investigative agenda…The House Majority should not use this Panel as a political weapon to harass or intimidate healthcare providers, medical students, patients, and scientists who are working to increase our understanding of diseases that impact all Americans.  The complete exclusion of Democrats and the lack of any investigative plan or rules to guide our work are extremely problematic.  Taxpayer-funded congressional investigations must further legitimate legislative aims.  None have been articulated or explained with regard to this Panel’s work.”

The Democratic members’ proposed rules would help safeguard the privacy and safety of individuals asked to cooperate in the Panel’s work while their investigative plan would include the following:

• The benefits of fetal tissue research. 
• The range of critical, life-saving services that reproductive healthcare professionals provide.   
• What is really needed to protect infant lives, including the full range of issues that impact the health of women and their families before, during, and after a pregnancy.
• The conspiracy to attack women’s healthcare, including how false “evidence” like the deceptively-edited videos manufactured by the Center for Medical Progress affects public policy and harms women’s access to healthcare. 
• Protecting patients and healthcare providers from violence, harassment, and intimidation.  

The letter was signed by Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Jerry Nadler, Diana DeGette, Jackie Speier, Suzan DelBene, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. 

The full text of the letter is available below. The full text of the proposed Democratic investigative plan and Select Panel rules are available online, by clicking on the links below or can be emailed upon request.

Letter to Chairwoman Blackburn

Investigative Plan

Proposed Rules