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Gov. Rick Snyder testifies at a House Oversight Committee hearing.

(Jake May | MLive.com)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Republican federal lawmakers have shot down an attempt to subpoena Gov. Rick Snyder for additional documents tied to the Flint water crisis.

At a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24, House Republican members voted unanimously to defeat an amendment put forward by Democrats seeking to subpoena Snyder for documents related to the city's water problems.

Last week, in a letter to Jason Chaffetz, chairperson of the congressional committee, U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-MD, and U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-MI, made the request for Snyder's office to produce all requested documents within 30 days.

The letter asked that Oversight Committee members be allowed to debate and vote on a motion to subpoena Snyder "to compel the production of key documents that he has been withholding from the committee for the past year, including evidence relating to his destruction of emails."

According to a release from Rep. Cummings' office, Chaffetz did not respond to this request.

An initial request for the documents was co-signed by Chaffetz and Cummings in February 2016.

But, in the Jan. 24 meeting, Chaffetz said he was "opposed to this amendment" and that Michigan officials "have made great progress."

"Mr. Chairman, I still believe when this committee answered the plea of the Flint residents, we held three hearings to investigate it. And I publically again applaud you for your leadership," said Lawrence. "I also remember, Mr. Chairman, you personally went to Flint and made public promises that this committee would get the answers. But here we are today, one year later, still waiting for documents. Is this committee going to let him get away with that? I offered this amendment because the committee must decide that question. Let's work together to complete this investigation properly, with answers to the men and women and children of the City of Flint."

According to Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton, the governor's office complied fully with the Oversight Committee's investigation last term.

"That investigation was closed at the end of 2016," said Heaton. "Gov. Snyder's focus remains on efforts in Flint to help residents recover fully from the water crisis. Partisan attacks from D.C. do not help those efforts."

Snyder previously testified in front of the committee on his handling of the city's water problems.

In addition, Cummings and Lawrence requested that Chaffetz to re-open the committee's investigation into the water crisis, which ended abruptly in December, and for additional transcribed interviews with 15 officials "involved in the Flint water crisis."

The letter also asked that three of the former Flint emergency managers appointed by Snyder be referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.