Durbin Says Science and Politics Don't Mix; Senate Approves Amendment to Ensure Scientific Integrity

Press Release

DURBIN SAYS SCIENCE AND POLITICS DON'T MIX; SENATE APPROVES AMENDMENT TO ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

The United States Senate passed a provision by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to ensure that the information provided to the American people by the federal government is based on honest, accurate and objective scientific research, not political ideology.

The Durbin amendment, which was included in the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill, prohibits the use of federal funds to ask candidates for appointment to scientific advisory committees to disclose their voting history, their political affiliation, or their opinions on unrelated political topics.

"We are ill-served when the federal government picks scientific and medical experts to serve our nation based on politics instead of qualifications. There is no room in America's research labs for political cronies. Americans must have full faith and confidence in the scientific information that is being provided by federal agencies," Durbin said.

Durbin pointed to an example where Dr. William R. Miller, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, was denied a position on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse after he admitted that he had not voted for President Bush.

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) voiced strong support for the Durbin measure. In a letter to Durbin, the organization's Director for the Scientific Integrity Program wrote: "On behalf of our more than 100,000 members and activists, UCS applauds your amendment to the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill that bans political litmus tests for federal scientific advisory committee members and blocks the dissemination of deliberately false or misleading scientific information. This important amendment will ensure that the most objective and impartial science informs critical policies affecting the health and welfare of all Americans."

"When the federal government seeks expert technical advice, it should look for the best possible expertise. It shouldn't limit itself to only those experts who voted for a particular candidate or who agree with the President's policy agenda. That's not how we in our personal lives would go about choosing our doctors, and it shouldn't be the way our government seeks out expert scientific advice," Durbin said.

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