{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://harris.house.gov/press-release/congressman-harris-demands-clarity-secretary-sebelius-regarding-obamacare-fundraising", "Congressman Harris Demands Clarity from Secretary Sebelius Regarding Obamacare Fundraising", "2013-05-15", "2013", "2013-05", "Republican", "House", "MD", "Andy Harris", "H001052", "harris.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. joined Congressman Jack Kingston (GA-1) and Congressman Rodney Alexander (LA-5) calling on HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to release information regarding her solicitation of private healthcare companies to give money to promote The Affordable Care Act. As members of the Labor, HHS Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, they are deeply concerned that Secretary Sebelius\u2019 actions present a clear conflict of interest.\nThe letter they sent to Secretary Sebelius is below:\n\u00a0\nMay 14, 2013\n\u00a0\nThe Honorable Kathleen Sebelius\nSecretary\nDepartment of Health and Human Services\n200 Independence Ave, SW\nWashington DC, 20201\n\u00a0\nDear Secretary Sebelius,\n\u00a0\nWe write with great concern over the reports of impropriety concerning solicitations of donations for a nonprofit that is assisting in the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).\u00a0 Recent media reports have indicated that you, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, have solicited donations over the last three months from health industry executives to assist in the implementation of PPACA. Subsequent statements made by HHS staff have offered conflicting information regarding who was solicited.\u00a0\nAs described by the Department of Justice, federal regulations only permit solicitations by federal department officials \u201cif you do not solicit funds from a subordinate or from someone who has or seeks business with the Department, and you do not use your official title.\u201d In addition, it appears that a great conflict of interest exists in soliciting funds for this purpose.\u00a0 Your actions, as described in recent reports, appear to violate these regulations.\n  \n\tTo clarify the actions that were taken by you and ensure that no wrongdoing occurred, we request the following information:\n A list of all of the individuals from whom you have solicited donations;\u00a0\n\tA list of any Department of Health and Human Services employees who assisted in any way in the solicitation of donations;\n\tA justification on why your actions do not violate federal regulations; and\n\tInformation on any interactions the companies of the individuals you have spoken to have previously had or will have before the Department of Health and Human Services.\u00a0\n \u00a0\nWe look forward to your timely response.\u00a0\nSincerely,\nJack Kingston\n\tSubcommittee on Labor,\n\tHealth and Human Services,\n\tEducation, and Related Agencies\nRodney Alexander\n\tVice Chair\n\tSubcommittee on Labor,\n\tHealth and Human Services,\n\tEducation, and Related Agencies\nAndy Harris, M.D.\n\tSubcommittee on Labor,\n\tHealth and Human Services,\n\tEducation, and Related Agencies", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://harris.house.gov/press-release/congressman-harris-demands-clarity-secretary-sebelius-regarding-obamacare-fundraising"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.924060121178627, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}