Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement regarding Dr. Monica Bertagnolli’s confirmation to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH):

“The American taxpayers deserve answers. From funding risky research in adversarial nations, to failing to protect researchers and employees from sexual harassment and to hold grantees accountable, the NIH has a lot of problems to fix. 

“Director Bertagnolli committed to Congress that she will take concrete steps to make NIH comply fully with Congressional inquiries. As she takes over as NIH Director, it’s critical that she changes NIH’s culture and establishes norms of transparency and honesty with the American people—a critical step to rebuilding trust in our government.”