Democratic lawmakers are trying to keep up the pressure on the Trump administration over its struggles to reunite families separated at the southern border under the "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

Members of the House and Senate are using every hearing and markup of health-related legislation to push for amendments aimed at holding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accountable.

Democrats have sent dozens of public letters demanding specifics on how many children have been separated from their families and details about agency efforts to reunite them with their parents. They have also called for oversight hearings and the firing of a top HHS official.

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Despite the efforts, lawmakers are now finding themselves in a tricky spot of trying to balance anger against the family separations with a looming battle over abortion and health-care coverage with President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which threatens to suck up all the oxygen in the room.

Kavanaugh was nominated July 9, just as lawmakers returned to Washington from the July Fourth holiday recess. In the short time since, much of the energy from Democratic leadership has been centered on the Supreme Court fight in the Senate.

Democratic leaders used their first wave of press conferences this week to focus on the potential impact Kavanaugh could have on health care, raising concerns that he could help overturn ObamaCare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

“We Democrats believe the No. 1 issue in America is health care, and the ability for people to get good health care at prices they can afford,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerCruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish Senate Democrats introduce legislation to probe politicization of pandemic response Schumer interrupted during live briefing by heckler: 'Stop lying to the people' MORE (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. “The nomination of Mr. Kavanaugh would put a dagger through the heart of that cherished belief that most Americans have.”

There’s also wide acknowledgement that Kavanaugh could shift the Supreme Court to the right on abortion, and Democrats are divided on whether to ramp up their abortion rhetoric, or to focus on pre-existing conditions and high insurance premiums.

Democrats are voicing confidence that their push to keep pressure on the family reunification efforts won't be overshadowed by the Supreme Court fight while pointing to ongoing questions surrounding the administration's progress.

Sen. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenDemocrats call for declassifying election threats after briefing by Trump officials Read Democrats' report countering Republicans' Biden investigation Top GOP senators say Hunter Biden's work 'cast a shadow' over Obama Ukraine policy MORE (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, told The Hill he feels duped by testimony HHS Secretary Alex Azar gave at a committee hearing in late June about the number and location of children in the agency’s custody.

“We have no intention of letting this go,” Wyden said. “The most charitable thing you can say is that was just baloney. It was so misleading.”

Wyden, along with Sens. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinFeinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll MORE (D-Calif.), Patty Murray Patricia (Patty) Lynn MurraySenate Democrats introduce legislation to probe politicization of pandemic response Trump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response CDC director pushes back on Caputo claim of 'resistance unit' at agency MORE (D-Wash.) and Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinFeinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (D-Ill.), sent a letter to Azar earlier this week calling out what they said were “glaring" inaccuracies about the number of children separated from their parents at the southern border.

House appropriators this week also adopted bipartisan amendments to the HHS funding bill aimed at forcing the agency to give Congress regular status updates on reunification efforts.

“This manufactured crisis is, in my view, government-sanctioned child abuse,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro Rosa Luisa DeLauroOvernight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike Trump HHS official faces firestorm after attacks on scientists Ahead of a coronavirus vaccine, Mexico's drug pricing to have far-reaching impacts on Americans MORE (D-Conn.), who for months has been calling for more oversight of HHS. “We are abdicating our responsibility, our moral responsibility, on this issue.”

Public outrage over the administration’s policy of forced separation began building in late May. The issue was thrust into the spotlight after the Trump administration implemented its “zero tolerance” policy, leading to thousands of family separations.

Under the policy, officials seek to immediately prosecute everyone who is caught trying to cross into the U.S. illegally through the nation's southern border, including those seeking asylum.

In late June, facing bipartisan backlash, Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending forced family separations.

The administration has recently begun reuniting some of the children in HHS custody with their parents, and the issue has slowly faded from the forefront of public discussion.

Government officials said Thursday that all eligible children under the age of 5 who were separated from their parents under the policy have been reunited.

The administration faces a July 26 deadline to reunite children ages 5 to 17, and HHS officials have yet to say just how many such children they have in custody.

Sen. Chris Murphy Christopher (Chris) Scott MurphyDemocratic senator calls for 'more flexible' medical supply chain to counter pandemics The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon GOP chairman to release interim report on Biden probe 'in about a week' MORE (D-Conn.) was one of a handful of lawmakers who have been blocked by HHS from visiting detained children in state-run facilities.

He said he thinks HHS owes lawmakers more information, but knows Democrats can only do so much to try to draw attention to it.

“My feeling is that HHS has been trying to operate under a cover of darkness from the beginning," Murphy told The Hill. “Congress could compel the administration to provide more information ... but clearly that’s not going to happen.”

