Washington ? In a last-ditch effort to save Terri Schiavo’s life, a House committee plans to issue subpoenas today to stop doctors from removing the severely brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube.

The extraordinary legislative maneuver comes after the House and Senate failed to agree on legislation to keep the woman alive before leaving Washington for their spring break. House officials hope that the subpoenas will stop doctors from removing Schiavo’s feeding tube at noon CST today.

Carla Evans, 23, left, Crystal Camacho, 20, center, and Jesse Engle, wear tape over their mouths as they demonstrate outside of Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater, Fla. The three support the effort to prevent the removal of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Under court order, the feeding tube was set to be removed at noon CST today, in what could be the final act in the long-running right-to-die drama.

“We will issue a subpoena which will require hospice administrators and attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive,” House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis said in a statement. “The subpoena will be joined by a Senate investigation as well.

“This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over.”

The subpoenas from the House Government Reform Committee, which spent most of Thursday hearing from baseball players and officials about steroids, is the latest twist in the long-running right-to-die drama.

The U.S. Supreme Court had rejected Thursday attempts by Schiavo’s parents and the state to postpone the removal of her feeding tube, and Florida lawmakers could not agree to legislation that would have stopped the removal of the feeding tube.

Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped because of a chemical imbalance, and court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, says she told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents dispute that.