Congressman Krishnamoorthi Highlights Importance Of Shielding Nation’s Public Health Agencies From Political Interference In Select Subcommittee On The Coronavirus Crisis Hearing

WASHINGTON – In today's hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis titled, "Ensuring Scientific Integrity at Our Nation's Public Health Agencies," Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi questioned witnesses on a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which found that government scientists faced incidents of political interference that drove the alteration and suppression of COVID-related scientific findings. In his exchange with Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States who serves in the Government Accountability Office, Congressman Krishnamoorthi emphasized the importance of Congress following through on the agency's recommendations.

"As we work to bringthis pandemic to a close, it's essential that we draw the key lessons from the successes and failures of our government's coronavirus response, and that includes the importance of shielding scientific recommendation from political pressure," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "As the Government Accountability Office's report last week showed, scientists at agencies including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health not only faced political interference but also that their agencies did not have effective safeguards against such political meddling. As we continue to combat such politicization of policymaking and science, we need to strengthen the guardrails against such intrusions by following through on the GAO's recommendations to help agencies identify and prevent such interference."