Chairman Clyburn’s Opening Statement at Hearing on “Ensuring Scientific Integrity at Our Nation’s Public Health Agencies”

Washington, D.C. (April 29, 2022) – Below is Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chairman James E. Clyburn’s opening statement, as delivered, for today’s hearing with Government Accountability Office officials and experts on “Ensuring Scientific Integrity at Our Nation’s Public Health Agencies.”

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Opening Statement 
Chairman James E. Clyburn 
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Hearing 
 “Ensuring Scientific Integrity at Our Nation’s Public Health Agencies” 
April 29, 2022 

For more than two years, the scientists who serve at our nation’s public health agencies have been on the frontlines of our battle against the coronavirus.  Thanks to their tireless efforts, and the leadership of President Biden, the worst of the pandemic appears to be behind us.  

Before President Biden took office, our public health officials had to contend with more than just a deadly virus.  As Americans were dying by the thousands, then-President Trump and his political appointees made the calculation that his re-election would be more likely if the seriousness of the pandemic were downplayed.   

Pursuing this political strategy, Trump Administration officials criticized and interfered with the work of the scientists at our nation’s public health agencies because the science of the coronavirus showed a grave threat to the American people.  These actions made our country sicker and did immense damage to our public health workforce and to public trust in our scientific institutions.   

Last week Congress’s independent and nonpartisan watchdog issued a detailed report finding that government scientists observed incidents of political inference in the pandemic response that undermined the scientific integrity and independence of our nation’s public health agencies.

The Government Accountability Office found in their report that CDC and FDA employees believed this quote that you see on the screen at the moment, scientists who spoke to the GAO said “they felt that the potential political interference they observed resulted in the alteration or suppression of scientific findings.” Some believed that “political interference may have resulted in the politically motivated alteration of public health guidance or delayed publication of COVID-19-related scientific findings.”  

Career scientists across government agencies told GAO that they did not report incidents of political interference that they observed because they feared retaliation, thought leadership was already aware, or were unsure how to report issues.   

GAO’s findings confirm what the Select Subcommittee has always known:  the Trump Administration engaged in a persistent pattern of political interference in the nation’s pandemic response.  Through our investigation, the Select Subcommittee has documented nearly 90 instances of this dangerous conduct. 

When scientific reports did not align with their political message, Trump Administration officials tried to alter their findings, delay their release, or suppress them entirely.  Career scientists were blocked from speaking to the American people about the risks posed by the virus and how to mitigate its spread, and they feared retaliation from political appointees simply for doing their jobs.   

The Select Subcommittee continues to find new evidence detailing Trump Administration officials’ obstruction of CDC’s efforts to provide the American public with health guidance based on sound science.  New documents released today show that after the CDC drafted non-binding guidance for safely gathering in religious settings, senior Trump White House officials forced the deletion of recommendations that they find, and I quote, “offensive,” even though they had no scientific basis on which to object. 

Fortunately, President Biden has made restoring scientific integrity a priority.  The Biden Administration has taken steps to restore the independence and integrity of our nation’s public health institutions, ensuring that every aspect of its response to the coronavirus is based on sound science. 

President Biden created an interagency Scientific Integrity Task Force under the Office of Science and Technology, which has issued key recommendations.  As noted by the GAO, agencies such as the CDC plan to align their scientific integrity trainings with these recommendations from the Biden Administration. 

While the Biden Administration has made significant progress in its first 15 months to restore scientific integrity, more work remains.  GAO identified steps to improve longstanding institutional policies and procedures governing scientific integrity.  We must work together to ensure that any attempts at political meddling in science by political appointees in any future administration are unsuccessful.  

The lifesaving work of scientists at our public health agencies must never be corrupted for the perceived political benefit of the president or for any other reason.   

No matter who sits in the Oval Office and no matter what public health emergencies arise in the future, the work of these scientists and their ability to speak to the American public must proceed without interference. 

We are joined today by representatives from the Government Accountability Office and experts who can help us look back at the harms to scientific integrity and chart a path to reduce the threat as we move forward. 

Thank you, and I’ll now yield to the Ranking Member for his opening statement.