Washington, D.C. - House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced the nomination of National Cancer Institute Director Monica Bertagnolli to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health. (NIH).

“The NIH-operating without a permanent leader for nearly a year and a half-has fallen short of its core mission ‘to exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science.’ Egregious examples include withholding information about a proposed monkeypox gain-of-function experiment, sexual harassment at grantee institutions, the recent reinstatement of EcoHealth Alliance’s grant, and a consistent and continual refusal to appropriately respond to congressional inquiries in a timely and transparent manner" said Chair Rodgers. “I congratulate Dr. Bertagnolli on her nomination. If confirmed, she has an opportunity to begin rebuilding public trust in NIH so it can effectively conduct important and potentially life-saving research."