News

All Updates


Oct 18, 2024

E&C Republicans Seek Watchdog Inquiry on FDA Laboratory Safety

Committee investigation finds FDA failing to meet safety requirements and implement GAO recommendations Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm, Energy and Commerce Republicans requested an assessment of the adequacy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) support for the Office of Laboratory Safety (OLS). The letter, which comes after a long-standing investigation, is signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA).  KEY LETTER QUOTE:   “We are deeply concerned that the FDA is not meeting important federal safety requirements to protect its employees and the public while also failing to prioritize scientific data quality delivered from FDA laboratories.” BACKGROUND: In July of 2014, an incident related to the discovery of boxes containing vials of smallpox virus and other hazardous biological agents in an FDA laboratory on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus served to increase overall safety awareness and leadership engagement in safety programs at the FDA. This led to the launch of the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS), now called the Office of Laboratory Safety (OLS), at the FDA. However, the FDA’s course of conduct over the last few years calls into question the adequacy, appropriateness, and legality of the way FDA leadership has supported the OLS. During the 118th Congress, the Committee conducted oversight of the FDA’s laboratory safety program and identified the following concerns: Regarding centralized and independent oversight of its laboratories, the FDA is not complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for annual inspections nor with the spirit of OSHA regulations regarding unannounced inspections.  The FDA still has not fully implemented and closed out the recommendations issued four years ago from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) related to the OLS.  The FDA may not be sufficiently supporting its laboratory safety program with adequate funding and resources.  The FDA may not be providing the OLS with the authority and visibility to promote safety.  CLICK HERE to read the letter. OUTLINE OF FDA’S SHORTCOMINGS AS STATED IN THE LETTER INCLUDE: Frequency of Laboratory Inspections and Unannounced Inspections by OLS OSHA has several requirements that apply to FDA oversight of laboratory safety. One of the OSHA regulations requires annual inspections of all laboratories, including sufficient unannounced inspections. The FDA’s August 21, 2023, response indicates that the FDA is not meeting OSHA requirements and best practices.  In its August 21, 2023, response, the FDA stated that “[b]eginning in 2022, OLS began annual inspections of a third of the FDA laboratories on a rotating basis.” In other words, the independent centralized oversight of the laboratories by OLS occurs every three years, not annually. The FDA centers conduct inspections of their own labs in the other two years. However, the FDA inspection surveys produced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show that OLS inspections make significantly more findings than the FDA center inspections. For example, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research reported only one finding in 2020 and reported no findings in 2021. In contrast, OLS conducted an inspection in March of 2023 of a Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) facility and made 19 non-conforming findings. However, OSHA requires annual inspections of all laboratories. According to OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1960.25(c), “[a]ll areas and operations of each workplace, including office operations, shall be inspected at least annually.” The OLSS 2017-2018 Progress Report stated: “FDA is required to comply with Title 21 USC [U.S. Code] and 29 CFR 1960.25 and 1960.26 requirements for conducting annual inspections.” The same report stated: “FDA committed to conducting annual audits to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and GAO to prevent incidents such as the Variola [smallpox] discovery.” The OSHA regulation further states, “Sufficient unannounced inspections and unannounced follow-up inspections should be conducted by the agency to ensure the identification and abatement of hazardous conditions.” To what extent is FDA addressing the GAO recommendations on laboratory safety? In September of 2020, the GAO issued a report on the FDA’s OLS and made five recommendations , including to resolve disagreements over roles and responsibilities, to provide OLS with the authority and access to facilities necessary to oversee laboratory safety, and to take steps to assess and mitigate any independence risks posed by how OLS is funded. HHS agreed with all five recommendations.  According to the GAO website, none of the five recommendations have been fully addressed. In a July 14, 2022, meeting with Chair Rodgers (at the time serving as Committee Republican Leader), FDA Commissioner Robert Califf committed to her that these recommendations would be closed. Our May 24, 2023, letter asked the FDA to respond specifically on the status of each of the five recommendations. The FDA’s response did not directly answer our questions and failed to show that the agency has fully implemented the GAO recommendations.  Is FDA sufficiently supporting its laboratory safety program? Information obtained through the Committee’s oversight raises questions about the adequacy of FDA’s funding and staffing for OLS, especially compared to those of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NIH. In an August 21, 2023, letter to the Committee, the FDA reported the following about funding and staffing of OLS: With respect to funding, the FDA has worked to reduce OLS’ reliance on funding from the Centers, but receiving such funding has not hindered OLS’ independence in implementing an effective safety program. OLS’ total budget for the current fiscal year is $7.9 million, which includes $5.5 million in appropriations from Congress (compared to an appropriations request of $6.6 million) and additional funding from the FDA to help support preexisting staffing and programs. With respect to historical OLS funding requests and appropriations:  • In FY2019, the FDA requested $6 million for OLS. OLS received $1.5 million in appropriations from Congress. This was an increase of $1.5 million over FY2018 budget authority.  • In FY2020, the FDA requested $4 million for OLS, which is an additional $2.5 million from FY2019 appropriations. OLS received $2.5 million in FY2020 appropriations from Congress. This was an increase of $1.0 million over FY2019 budget authority.  • In FY2021, the FDA requested $2.5 million for OLS. OLS received $2.5 million in FY2021 appropriations from Congress. There was no increase from the FY2020 budget authority.  • In FY2022, the FDA requested $9.1 million for OLS, which is an additional $6.6 million from FY2021 appropriations. OLS received $4.0 million in FY2022 appropriations from Congress. This was an increase of $1.5 million over FY2021 budget authority.  OLS currently has 19 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), as well as contract support and cross-cutting support within the Agency. These employees are dedicated to the OLS mission and work on a variety of matters, including, but not limited to occupational safety and health, environmental safety, industrial hygiene, radiation safety, and biosafety.  However, the CDC and the NIH provide more staffing and resources for more laboratory spaces, with all of them subject to annual inspection and unannounced inspections.  In a November 9, 2023, letter to the Committee, the CDC reported that the CDC Office of Laboratory Science and Safety had total funding of $23 million with 82 FTEs. CDC inspects about 2100 lab spaces annually.  In a June 2024 briefing to Committee staff, the NIH gave an estimate of $117 million supporting NIH laboratory safety activities. The breakdown includes the following service programs: Division of Occupational Health & Safety ($35.3 million), Division of Radiation Safety ($8.8 million), Division of Emergency Management ($5.7 million), the Fire Marshall ($2.9 million), Division of Fire and Rescue Services ($7.4 million), and Police ($56.7 million). The NIH reported 65 full-time equivalents (FTEs) and 100 contractors allocated for laboratory safety. All 5,000 lab spaces are inspected annually.  Is FDA providing the OLS with the authority and visibility to promote safety? Currently, the FDA Designated Agency Safety and Health Official ( DASHO) is the Director of OLS, a position at least two levels below the assistant secretary level since the Director reports to the Chief Scientist. Federal regulation 29 C.F.R. § 1960.6, published in 1980, requires that the DASHO be located at the assistant secretary or equivalent position, and have sufficient authority and responsibility to effectively represent the Commissioner in managing the FDA’s laboratory safety program. Further, the regulation states that headquarters staff should report directly, or have appropriate access to the DASHO. The current reporting structure contrasts with how the CDC prioritized this reporting relationship, and to past FDA actions and commitments. In July of 2015, the External Laboratory Safety Working Group (ELSW) for laboratory safety improvements at the FDA included a recommendation that the FDA make leadership changes, including hiring a Director of Laboratory Science and Safety with a direct reporting line to the Commissioner. In response to a question on whether the FDA would commit to having the Director of Lab Safety report directly to the Commissioner, the FDA wrote in a September 9, 2016, letter to the Committee: “To support FDA with this critical mission, FDA will realign OLSS such that the Director of OLSS will report directly to the Commissioner.” The establishment of OLSS and its realignment as a direct report to the Commissioner was done through an extensive process over two administrations and formal notice in the Federal Register. According to a June 29, 2017, memorandum from then-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to then HHS Secretary Thomas Price, in response to this recommendation and advice from an FDA work group, the FDA hired a director of laboratory science and safety in October of 2015. His memorandum stated the OLSS director initially reported to FDA’s Chief Scientist, but after internal deliberation—prompted in part by an oversight letter from Congress—the FDA determined in 2016 that the OLSS director should report directly to the Commissioner. Dr. Gottlieb noted: “This realignment emphasizes [the OLSS Director’s] role in centralizing laboratory science and safety activities, and better enables him to create a culture of responsibility, safety, and accountability across all FDA labs and centers. It is also consistent with sister agency organizational structures and the External Laboratory Safety Workgroup (ELSW) recommendation for direct reporting.” At that time, the Director of OLSS directly reported to the FDA commissioner. In 2018, the FDA again realigned OLSS. Without any formal notice in the Federal Register, the direct-report alignment was reversed during a 2018 Office of Commissioner reorganization. This reversal was purportedly based on a McKinsey consulting report, but the FDA would not produce to the Committee any documentation from the McKinsey report to support the realignment of the OLSS office and placing it back in the Office of Chief Scientist (OCS). In a December 10, 2018, letter from the FDA to the bipartisan committee leadership about OLS, FDA stated: Prior to initiating this action, FDA contracted with a third-party consultant [McKinsey] to conduct a broad, high-level assessment of the Office of the Commissioner (OC). While this contract did not require submission of a final report, the consultants helped in gathering perspectives throughout the Agency. This effort resulted in a formal reorganization package subsequently submitted to HHS for approval. One of the outcomes of the assessment was to realign most of the OLSS functions under the Chief Scientist while moving certain non-laboratory related functions from OLSS to the Office of Operations.  In anticipation of the proposed changes, the Director of OLSS began conditionally reporting to the Chief Scientist in March 2018. The FDA further defended the reorganization stating:  Since then [July 2017], we have had a greater opportunity to observe and evaluate the functions of the office and have determined that laboratory safety would be best served by OCS providing day-to-day leadership [...] This decision was one of many strategic realignments proposed by FDA leadership, based in part on input from the third-party evaluator.  However, as the FDA later noted in a June 28, 2019, email to Committee staff, there was no documented justification for the realignment and renaming of OLS stating, “the requested documents [McKinsey report] pertain to the reorganization in general (and not specifically to OLS), the interview synthesis does not reference OLS at all, and there are very minimal references to OLS in the justification memos (i.e., stating that OLS will be realigned into OCS).” The FDA also did not provide any documentation to support its observation and evaluation that led the FDA to conclude in about eight months that OLSS needed to be downsized and sent back to the Office of Chief Scientist.



Oct 12, 2024
Press Release

Chairs Rodgers and Latta: TikTok can no longer hide the truth

TikTok is a threat to our children’s well-being and our national security by design Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) released the following statement after new reporting confirms that TikTok executives know its platform is harmful for children. “Reporting confirms that TikTok executives know what Congress has known for years: TikTok is a threat to our children’s well-being and our national security by design. It’s unsurprising that TikTok would attempt to hide the truth from parents and users about the platform’s intentionally addictive nature, especially considering TikTok has refused to be honest about its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. This is why the Energy and Commerce Committee acted swiftly to pass the bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which is now law in the United States. The days of TikTok further manipulating and exploiting its users are numbered.”  CLICK HERE to read more about H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.   H.R. 7521 gives TikTok a clear choice : Separate from its parent company ByteDance—which is beholden to the CCP—and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. 



Bipartisan E&C Leaders Press Telecom Companies for Answers Following Cyberattack by CCP-Aligned Hackers

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), as well as Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) and Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA),  sent letter s to AT&T , Verizon , and Lumen demanding answers and requesting a briefing following breaches of their communications networks by hackers tied to the Chinese government. Reporting from the  Wall Street Journal  revealed the cyberattack was focused on intelligence collection and may have accessed U.S. wiretapping requests.  KEY LETTER QUOTE :   “We are concerned by the recent reports of a massive breach of AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen’s communications networks by Chinese hackers. These types of breaches are increasing in frequency and severity, and there is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecommunications networks. The Committee needs to understand better how this incident occurred and what steps your company is taking to prevent future service disruptions and secure your customers’ data.” BACKGROUND :   On October 5th,  The Wall Street Journal  reported U.S. broadband providers were breached by a Chinese government-tied hacker organization. The attack appears to be geared towards intelligence collection, and Chinese hackers potentially accessed vulnerable information, including court-authorized network wiretapping requests and internet traffic. AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen are among the U.S. broadband providers breached. According to the  Wall Street Journal , “The widespread compromise is considered a potentially catastrophic security breach and was carried out by a sophisticated Chinese hacking group dubbed Salt Typhoon.” CLICK HERE to read the letter to AT&T. CLICK HERE to read the letter to Verizon. CLICK HERE to read the letter to Lumen.



Oct 8, 2024
Press Release

Bipartisan E&C Leaders Request FDA Briefing for More Details about Counterfeit Ozempic

Washington, D.C. — In a letter today to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., a bipartisan group of House Energy and Commerce Committee Leaders requested a briefing about the presence of counterfeit Ozempic and other semaglutide products in the United States’ medical supply chain.  The letter was signed by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ); Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA); and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL).   KEY LETTER QUOTE : “In addition to concerns about integrity gaps in the legitimate supply chain, we are also concerned about counterfeit Ozempic entering through illegal channels. For example, in June of this year, Eli Lilly issued an open letter expressing concern that counterfeit versions of its own drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, were being sold online, through social media and at medical spas. On May 1, 2024, a Department of Justice press release reported that work by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations resulted in the arrest of an individual for selling misbranded and adulterated weight loss drugs on TikTok. The Committee fully supports these continued investigations of unlawful sales.”   BACKGROUND :   The FDA alerted the public on December 21, 2023, to the presence of counterfeit Ozempic injection products in the legitimate drug supply; an investigati ve article l ater found that thousands of counterfeit Ozempic pens had arrived in a warehouse in Elmira, New York, as early as the fall of 2023. The fact that counterfeit medications made it into the legitimate medical supply chain raises concern about potential gaps in our supply chain security infrastructure.    This threat continues to grow.   CLICK HERE to read the full letter.



Oct 7, 2024
Letter

Chair Rodgers Leads House GOP in Demanding Answers Over FCC Fast-Tracking Democrat Mega-Donor’s Media Takeover Weeks Before Election

Soros-linked fund to acquire more than 200 local radio stations weeks before election Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) led 40 of her Republican colleagues in demanding answers from the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding her recent decision to fast-track a media deal allowing the Fund for Policy Reform, a group aligned with Democratic mega-donor George Soros, to buy over 200 radio stations just weeks before the 2024 election. With a party line vote of 3-2, the decision at the Commission level by the Democratic members of the FCC to temporarily waive the required national security review and allow excessive foreign ownership of American radio stations is deeply disturbing. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “It is highly concerning that the FCC did not follow regular order for a transaction of this magnitude. Licensees and investors need certainty that the FCC will follow its rules and procedures when approving transactions so that the broadcast industry can have the resources it needs to continue serving the public.”  BACKGROUND: Audacy, Inc., a radio broadcasting group, which owns more than 200 radio-station licenses, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.  Audacy’s filings revealed that a George Soros-backed group known as the Fund for Policy Reform had acquired at least 40 percent of Audacy’s debt.   Audacy estimated that, upon emerging from bankruptcy, 25 percent or more of its stock would be indirectly foreign owned, which triggers FCC review.   This review process requires national security agencies to review the transaction and offer any policy or national security concerns.   On September 30, 2024, the FCC released an Order granting a temporary waiver of this review process, delaying a national security review until after the bankruptcy process is complete and allowing foreign control of a significant number of radio stations across the entire United States, weeks before a national election. CLICK HERE to read Breitbart's exclusive coverage. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.



Oct 2, 2024
Press Release

E&C, E&W Republicans Press ARPA-H to Uphold Civil Rights Laws in its Research Funding Process

Washington, D.C — In a new letter to Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Director Renee Wegrzyn, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W) request information on how ARPA-H is ensuring that institutions and individuals involved in the research projects it funds comply with Title VI to ensure a harassment and discrimination-free environment.  This letter comes after a rise in antisemitism on college and university campuses, including Columbia University and the University of California, San Francisco where ARPA-H currently funds research. It is signed by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and E&W Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT).  KEY EXCERPT :  “Due to ongoing reports of antisemitism across colleges and universities, federal and congressional investigations into potential civil rights violations at these institutions, and an ongoing congressional investigation into HHS’s and NIH’s handling of these concerns at HHS-funded institutions, the Committees are seeking more information about how ARPA-H ensures that those involved in projects it funds comply with Title VI and relevant civil rights laws to ensure a research environment free of harassment and discrimination, especially towards those of Jewish faith and heritage.”  BACKGROUND :  ARPA-H is an independent agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  ARPA-H reports directly to the Secretary of HHS.  In the last year, ARPA-H has funded more than $595 million in research projects through ISOs and BAA with more than $506 million going to universities and research institutions and the rest to companies or organizations. Some of these research projects include:  August 30, 2024: Up to $39.5 million to Columbia University   August 22, 2024: Up to $7 million to the University of Pennsylvania   August 13, 2024: Up to $18.4 million to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  July 10, 2024: Up to $27 million to the Wyss Institute at Harvard University  June 12, 2024: Up to $24 million to Yale University School of Medicine  April 1, 2024: Up to $35 million to the University of California, San Francisco  September 26, 2023: Up to $104 million to Harvard Medical School  September 25, 2023: Up to $26 million to Stanford University  Of the fourteen university-based projects ARPA-H funded in the last year, eleven (including the eight listed above) are at universities that were recently or are currently under federal and/or congressional investigation for potential Title VI violations and/or are being sued in federal court for permitting antisemitic behavior on campus.  Columbia University has been sued in federal court, is currently undergoing several investigations by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, and is undergoing investigation by congressional committees, for complaints of antisemitism.  The Committee on Energy and Commerce is currently investigating the University of California, San Francisco regarding concerns of antisemitism at the university, medical school, and associated medical centers.  The U.S. Department of Education recently closed its investigation into the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign with a resolution agreement that found the university was not meeting its obligation under Title VI as it relates to complaints of shared ancestry discrimination—including 135 complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.



Oct 2, 2024
Press Release

Chair Rodgers: Even More Crucial for Congress to Pass Price Transparency Law After Government Watchdog Finds Administration Failing to Enforce Current Rules

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration is failing to enforce the accuracy and completeness of prices posted under price transparency rules implemented by the former administration. “The American people are facing ever increasing health care costs, yet the Biden-Harris administration is failing to ensure price transparency rules are followed and pricing information is accurate. Americans cannot wait any longer; Congress must act,” said Chair Rodgers. “The House passed the bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act to build upon and strengthen those rules, which more than 90 percent of Americans support. I will continue working with the Senate to pass this into law to provide patients with the information needed to make the right care decisions for themselves and their loved ones.”  The GAO provided its analysis in response to a November 2022 bipartisan request from then Committee Chair Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ) and then Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers.  GAO KEY FINDINGS & SELECT QUOTES :  GAO found that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not taken action to assess the accuracy and completeness of required price disclosures by hospitals and recommended that the CMS Administrator take action to do so.  “CMS has not assessed whether hospital price transparency machine-readable files are sufficiently complete and accurate to support program goals, and accordingly whether additional enforcement actions are needed. According to federal internal control standards, agencies should identify, analyze, and respond to risks related to achieving agency goals.”   [...]   "The Administrator of CMS should assess whether hospital price transparency machine-readable files are sufficiently complete and accurate to be usable for supporting CMS’s program goal and implement any additional cost-effective enforcement activities as needed. Such an assessment could include soliciting stakeholder feedback or conducting a study of hospital file completeness and accuracy.”   LOWER COSTS, MORE TRANSPARENCY ACT :  After conducting bipartisan oversight of the transparency rule in the 117th Congress, Chair Rodgers led the bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act through regular order, culminating in the House passing it with 320 yes votes.  READ :  The House Passed a Long-Needed Health Care Price Transparency Measure   Bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act Saves Seniors Money, Strengthens Medicare   How the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act Helps Patients   Former Speaker Newt Gingrich: The one health care solution to protect everyone from outrageous medical bills   Chair Rodgers: Health Care Price Transparency Will Make a Meaningful Difference for Patients   Nearly 90 Percent of Americans Support Health Care Price Transparency



Sep 27, 2024
Press Release

Chair Rodgers Applauds Senate Passage of Legislation to Further Research for Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

Bilirakis-led bill heads to the President’s desk Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement after the Senate passed H.R. 7189, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act , unanimously. The bill, led by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), previously passed the House unanimously on September 23, 2024, will now be sent to the President’s desk. “With more than 40,000 babies in the United States born with a heart defect each year, Congress answered the American people’s call for action. This bipartisan legislation will support research and education regarding congenital heart disease, as well as the impact heart defects have on individuals throughout every stage of life. I commend Rep. Bilirakis for championing this effort and look forward to the President signing it into law,” said Chair Rodgers . “ As a co-founder of the Congenital Heart Caucus, I’ve become familiar with the struggles patients with congenital heart disease and their families face. Our legislation will bring us one step closer to enhancing better treatment options and improving outcomes for all patients suffering with this condition. We’ve seen that this program yields positive results, and, when it is signed into law, it will help future generations live longer, healthier lives,"  said Congressman Bilirakis . H.R. 7189 reauthorizes and makes improvements to the national congenital heart disease research, surveillance, and awareness program at the CDC through fiscal year 2029. It passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously on March 20, 2024.



Sep 27, 2024
Press Release

Chairs Rodgers, Guthrie, Griffith Statement on Falsified Research at NIH

Washington, D.C. — In response to a recent finding that top National Institutes of Health (NIH) official Dr. Eliezer Masliah falsified research information, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement:  “These findings are deeply troubling and worsen an already growing distrust of the NIH’s scientific research. We expect full transparency with Congress and the public regarding the matter. While Republicans have historically championed the NIH, these types of misconduct—coupled with the agency’s lack of cooperation throughout our ongoing COVID-19, MPXV, and sexual harassment investigations—make it difficult to continue such robust support,” said the Chairs. “The responses to the Committee’s NIH reform framework overwhelmingly agreed that a comprehensive review of NIH is needed. We urge experts and stakeholders to continue engaging in constructive discussion to strengthen the NIH, protect taxpayer dollars, and restore trust in government health agencies.”  A Science magazine article also further details the allegations, which were in part confirmed by the NIH. In June 2024, Chair Rodgers unveiled a framework that lays out the current challenges facing the NIH and contains recommendations for reform. CLICK HERE for a one-pager on the framework.  CLICK HERE to read Chair Rodgers opinion piece with House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL) regarding the effort.