Seizing on its majority, Congressional Democrats have held a series of oversight hearings on Capitol Hill. Testimonies stemming from these hearings have exposed the astonishing amount of political interference into the policies of government agencies, such as the EPA and NASA. Such interference threatens the integrity of government science and its ability to make informed policy decisions based on impartial research. Witnesses revealed that when science or science policy is contrary to political agendas, the scientific voice is often silenced.

A hearing last week centered on America’s doctor—the Surgeon General. Tasked with guiding the healthy lives of Americans with the latest medical research, we’d hope the advice of the Surgeon General is based solely on clinical trials, and not politics. Three Surgeons General from as far back as the Reagan administration appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 9, 2007. Former Surgeons General, Dr. C. Everett Koop and Dr. David Satcher told the panel that, on at least one occasion, the Executive Branch weakened or suppressed the Surgeon General’s reports or activities to advance a political agenda. For example, Dr. Satcher, Surgeon General under the Clinton administration, revealed that administration officials discouraged him from issuing a report about the health benefits of needle-exchange programs. Despite the pressure, Dr. Satcher released the report.

Far and away, the current Bush administration has exerted the most political control over the Office of the Surgeon General. Former Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. Carmona testified that the Bush administration refused to allow him to issue educational reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or issues surrounding prison, mental, and global health. Top administration officials delayed a landmark report on secondhand smoke for years, and tried to “water down” the findings and conclusions of the report. In his testimony, Dr. Carmona stated, “Anything that doesn’t fit into the political appointees’ ideological, theological, or political agenda is ignored, marginalized, or simply buried.”¹

On July 12, 2007, confirmation hearings began for Dr. James Holsinger, Bush’s nominee for Surgeon General. It now seems clear why Bush nominated Dr. Holsinger, whose dubious qualifications were discussed in July’s Roundup. It is easier to politicize the Office of the Surgeon General if America’s Doctor has an already established track record of placing ideology over science. Sensibly, at the confirmation hearing, Dr. Holsinger distanced himself from his pseudo-scientific and homophobic report written in 1991, but he stopped short of stating his current position on homosexuality. He faces an uphill battle in the Senate, and his confirmation is likely to fail.

Recognizing that “political interference is compromising the independence of the Office,”² Rep. Henry A. Waxman is planning to introduce a bill to insulate the Office of the Surgeon General from such political interference. Among other safeguards, an independent budget would afford the Surgeon General greater political insulation.

References:

¹ http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070710111054.pdf

² http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1409