Federal Daily - February 8, 2008

Grassley Calls for Action in Wake of FDA Whistleblower Probe

A two-year investigation sparked by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employee’s charges that she was transferred under pressure from a drug company has led a key legislator to call for “involvement by FDA management at the highest levels” to ensure the integrity of the agency’s processes. In a Feb. 6 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, detailed the results of his probe into whistleblower claims made by Victoria Hampshire, who said she was wrongly removed from her post as Adverse Event Coordinator for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine under pressure from drug maker Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Hampshire said that on Jan. 7, 2005, she was removed from her post because she had reported that Wyeth’s ProHeart 6, a canine heartworm drug, was responsible for contributing to the deaths of hundreds of dogs, the letter noted. Grassley asked Leavitt and von Eschenbach to respond by Feb. 25 to the concerns and findings raised in the letter. To see more, go to: www.whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=1302&keyword.

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Groups Question Bush Plans to Move Information Office

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and 42 open government organizations have questioned the wisdom of a White House move to have the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversee a new office devoted to promoting greater freedom of information. In his Fiscal Year 2009 budget request, President Bush includes language that would repeal a law he signed late last year putting the new Office of Government Information (OGI) in the National Archives. Instead, Bush wants to have OGI overseen by DOJ, which the groups think will be a conflict of interest because DOJ attorneys represent the government in lawsuits that challenge the nondisclosure of documents. Placing the OGI inside of DOJ would handcuff OGI’s role as a mediator to help resolve disputes before they reach the litigation stage, said David Cuillier, chairman of the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. “We aren’t talking about exposing state secrets or someone’s privacy,” he said. “Just a simple mediator to work out disputes fairly and equitably on behalf of citizens.” To see more, go to: www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=764.

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USPS Offers Discount on Overseas Military ‘Care Packages’

The U.S. Postal Service announced Feb. 6 that it will offer a $2 discount—beginning on March 3—on a new Priority Mail flat-rate box sent to servicemembers overseas. The new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box (12" x 12" x 5 ½") will be available beginning March 3, but customers can begin ordering them Feb. 20, USPS said in a statement. The new boxes are co-branded with the logo of America Supports You, a DoD program that connects citizens offering support to the military and their families. The box—which costs $12.95 normally—is larger than the two existing flat-rate boxes. To see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/pr08_010.htm.

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