WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today received a letter from Francis S. Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary federal government agency responsible for medical and public health research. The letter is in response to a May 16 oversight letter that sought information about an NIH study on the long term effects of daily alcohol consumption that was reportedly in large part funded by alcohol companies.
“Congressional oversight is critical in rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government. It’s a responsibility I take seriously. I appreciate today’s response from the National Institutes of Health and the steps it has taken to better ensure credibility in the research process. However, today’s letter raises additional questions,” Grassley said. “Taxpayers deserve to know the total cost of the study once it is officially closed as well as what disciplinary actions will be taken against the employees who violated NIH policy. Transparency is critical to a well-functioning government, and too often there’s not enough of it in our federal agencies.”
Grassley, a longtime advocate of transparency and oversight, first learned about the alcohol study when it was brought to his attention by concerned Iowans who had contacted him after reading alarming reports.
Grassley’s May 16 letter is available here. His statement on the study’s discontinuation is available here.
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