With a fine-toothed comb, I make it my business to rummage through the federal bureaucracy. As a U.S. Senator, I take seriously my oath of office. That includes upholding Congress' constitutional oversight responsibilities. Our system of checks and balances helps clear out cobwebs that weave their way into overlooked corners.
Snooping around federal agencies may not make me the most popular lawmaker on Capitol Hill. And it can be awful tedious nitty-gritty work. But it's a way for a federal lawmaker to improve government service for the general public.
Whether I’m breathing down the neck of the IRS, FBI, USDA, or HHS, I keep sniffing around wherever the trail may lead.
In the last year, I’ve begun a thorough review of the FDA. That’s the Food and Drug Administration. The folks at this federal agency are charged with protecting the health of American consumers. They provide the scientific scrutiny over food and medicines, to keep dangerous drugs out of our medicine cabinet.
Americans rely on scientists at the FDA as front-line defenders to ensure the safety of prescription drugs. As consumers grow increasingly dependent on prescription medicines to cure diseases and maintain a better of quality of life, the FDA bears tremendous responsibility to enhance its stewardship over public health.
The FDA arguably has a sterling reputation to maintain. Like most Americans, I’ve always considered that an FDA-approved drug is as good as it gets. If the drug weren’t safe, the FDA would yank it off the market or at least make sure that consumers know the side effects before they, or their child, takes an approved drug.
Earlier in the year, I launched an investigation into the agency’s handling of a study related to anti-depressants and youth. Apparently, the FDA prevented one of its own scientists from discussing his findings that use of several leading antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal behaviors among children.
As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I conducted an oversight hearing in November to examine the FDA’s role in the worldwide withdrawal of a leading painkiller called Vioxx.
A giant pharmaceutical company, which announced a voluntary global recall in September, said studies showed the use of its multibillion-dollar Vioxx could put cardiovascular health at risk. And it now appears the FDA did nothing about mounting evidence that suggested this risk.
Both cases expose disturbing information. First, the FDA may have tried to sweep under the rug a possible link between anti-depressant drugs and suicidal behaviors among adolescents. And second, the FDA may have kept consumers in the dark about a link between a leading painkiller and its dangers to the heart.
Such alleged mismanagement by the FDA deserves rigorous review. Grave concerns about public health are at stake. The FDA can leave no stone unturned. The American people depend on the FDA to guarantee the safety of their prescription medicines.
And I guarantee the trial lawyers won’t stop to blink before trying to make the pharmaceutical industry pay through the nose for alleged mistakes. Costly litigation will only drive up the costs of what many consumers already consider sky-high prices for name-brand prescription medicine.
My bottom line is this. The FDA must remember its mission. To put public health and safety first and foremost. The American people must bet he FDA's first and only concern. They should never be the last to know that their lives are at risk when taking a prescription drug.
Americans rely more than ever before on prescription medicines. And federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, are poised to pay a bigger share for prescription drugs than ever before in history.
On November 2, Iowans re-hired me to represent them in the U.S. Senate for another six-year term. You can bet I’ll work harder than ever to hold the federal government accountable. That includes fixing the fumbling at the Food and Drug Administration. I’ll keep fighting for transparency and openness. Consumers should not have to second-guess the safety of what’s in their medicine cabinet.