Republican members of the House Education and Workforce Committee blasted Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for dodging questions on several controversial issues during a committee hearing Tuesday.

The education secretary sidestepped numerous questions from lawmakers on the department's responsiveness to congressional oversight letters, as well as ideological questions on critical race theory and the eligibility of biological males who identify as women to compete in women's sports.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS PLANS FOR BUILDING WIND AND SOLAR IN RURAL AREAS

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) asked Cardona about the Biden administration's efforts to require school districts participating in the federal school lunch program to use a definition of "sex" under Title IX that includes gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes under civil rights law.

Cardona repeatedly dodged the question, and likewise sidestepped questions about the inclusion of language favorable to critical race theory in grant programs.

"Secretary Cardona refused to answer any questions because there is no honest explanation for the Biden administration’s radical agenda," Banks said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "He’s clearly spent more time doing damage control for hearings than preparing our schools and children for success. The Biden administration would rather take away needy kids lunches than stand up to the radical transgender lobby.”

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) also expressed frustration with the secretary's responses.

"What color is your suit?" McClain asked the secretary after repeatedly asking Cardona if the department was complying with Freedom of Information Act requests of department records before the secretary ultimately said that they were.

"I'd be happy to focus on...," the secretary began to reply before McClain interrupted.

"I'm just seeing if we can answer a question," she said with a laugh.

McClain told the Washington Examiner that she asked the off-topic question to illustrate the secretary's refusal to give straight answers.

"All I wanted from Secretary Cardona was a simple answer to a simple question to help our students in schools throughout this country," she said. "We learn in school the difference between yes and no, but apparently that’s too much to ask from the leader of the Education Department. Even if I had 10 more minutes with the secretary I still don’t think I would’ve gotten an answer from him on anything — and that’s why I asked about the color of his suit, which was yet another question he just couldn’t seem to answer."