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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) visits with
Dr. Ed Wasserman.
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 L-R:
Ed Wasserman, PhD, University of Iowa, Steve Breckler,
PhD, APA's Science Directorate, and Sandra Murray, PhD,
University at Buffalo, State University of New York. |
Congress returned this month from its August recess
with action still pending on the FY2006 Labor Health and Human Services and
Education Appropriations Bill. The legislation, which funds the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and other HHS and Education agencies, passed the House with an amendment attached
that would prohibit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from funding
two psychological research projects that had been awarded to Ed Wasserman at the
University of Iowa and Sandra Murray at the University at Buffalo of the State
University of New York. In July, Murray and Wasserman joined APA staff member
Karen Studwell on visits with congressional offices of both their states, as well
as staff of the appropriations subcommittees that would be involved in the conference
negotiations between the House and Senate. Congressional members and staff alike were supportive of both the scientists and
the NIH peer review process and provided some assurances that they would work to
remove the language from the final legislation.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, HHS met personally with the APA delegation and recounted
past efforts of individual members of Congress arbitrarily criticizing the work of the
federal research agencies and offered his support for removing the language
during conference.
Calling the amendment a form of "unjustified scientific censorship,"
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni stated that "it undermines the historical
strength of American science, which is based on our world renowned, apolitical and
transparent peer review process."
Speaking on the House floor against the amendment, Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) said
that "the Neugebauer amendment…. represents a philosophical assault on
the peer review process that serves as a hallowed barrier to scientific
censorship… This is a slippery slope that I hope conferees will not slide
down."
In a letter to each member of the House of Representatives, APA CEO Norman
Anderson also stated, "For Congress to defund any grants in violation of
NIH's exacting process is a blow to science, to scientists, and ultimately, to
public health."
APA will continue to advocate against the inclusion of the Neugebauer language
in the final FY2006 funding bill and to educate Congress during
the coming year about the danger such efforts pose to both the scientific
community and to public health.
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Dr. Wasserman and Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA). |
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