Obama, FDA Muddy Whistleblower Waters

[Guest guest]

president Obama and the Acting Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration

recently issued directives that could limit federal employees' right to release

information to Congress and the public. The president's signing statement on

this month's $410 billion budget bill said the legislation would not limit his

power to control the flow of certain information to lawmakers, according to the

New York Times. Seperately, the FDA's Frank Torti warned agency employees that

releasing draft guidances and proposed rules that may contain commercial

information could " result in disciplinary sanctions and/or individual criminal

liability. " Critics called the Torti memo overly broad.

 

Both policies appear to contradict the president's January 21 call for greater

transparency in government, according to Amanda Hitt of the Government

Accountability Project. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) called Obama's signing

statement " overly broad " and said it would " undoubtedly chill whistleblowers who

might otherwise come forward to report waste, fraud or abuse to Congress. "

 

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