House GOP Chair Accused HHS; Stories on NIH Reappointments are Changing!

House GOP Chair Accused HHS

House GOP Chair of the GOP-led House Energy and Commerce Committee Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers voices her concerns after a Friday letter sent by the committee to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

The letter from the panel claimed that 14 high-ranking NIH officials were not lawfully reappointed at the end of 2021, potentially placing billions of dollars in approved grants in jeopardy. Additionally, the committee raised questions about affidavits signed by Becerra earlier this year to retroactively validate the appointments. The department has clarified that this action was taken to strengthen its defense against baseless legal challenges.

During an interview on “America Decides” with CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge, House GOP Chair McMorris Rodgers expressed her frustration, stating, “Health and Human Services seems to keep changing their story. This is just their latest effort. I don’t know if they don’t know what the law is, or they are intentionally misleading.”

In response to the committee’s allegations, an HHS spokesperson labeled them “clearly politically motivated” and affirmed their support for the legitimacy of the NIH Directors’ reappointments. The spokesperson also pointed out that the previous administration had followed a similar appointment process, appointing at least five NIH officials.

READ ALSO: U.S. Economic Powerhouse Moves To South As Wealth, Job Opportunities Grow

House GOP Chair Dismissed Previous Reappointments

House GOP Chair Rep. McMorris Rodgers dismissed the relevance of the previous reappointments, emphasizing that the committee’s concerns are related to a separate provision in the law. She argued that this provision, included in the 21st Century Cures Act, aims to ensure accountability to taxpayers and requires individuals to be appointed or reappointed by the secretary every five years.

Democrats on the panel criticized their Republican counterparts’ claims, denouncing them as “based on flawed legal analysis.” They maintained that the law designates the authority to appoint or reappoint these positions to the Director of the National Institutes of Health, who acts on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Rep. Frank Pallone, the committee ranking member, revealed that the shift in appointment power from the Secretary of HHS to the NIH Director was a provision insisted upon by Committee Republicans during legislative negotiations in 2016.

As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how this disagreement over the legality of NIH reappointments will be resolved. The conflicting perspectives from House GOP Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and the Biden administration highlight the contentious nature of the issue and its potential implications for the National Institutes of Health.

READ ALSO: Biden Addresses Student Debt Relief Plan After Supreme Court Strikes Down Program