House Science Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Federal Research Funds

On June 24, the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Hearing – Safeguarding Federal Research Funds: The False Claims Act’s Role in Combating Grant Fraud. Witnesses included Robert Steinau, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of the Inspector General; Jennifer Springmann, Special Agent in Charge, National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of the Inspector General; and Brenna Jenny, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) began the hearing by expressing concern about “fraudulent grants” and repeatedly emphasized the “waste, fraud, and abuse” of taxpayers’ dollars, urging the committee to investigate further. He encouraged the DOJ to prioritize preventative measures against grant fraud, rather than punishment after fraud has been committed.

Ranking Member Emilia Sykes (D-OH) followed Chair McCormick by questioning the committee’s concern with grant “fraud” while Congress overlooks what she takes to be more critical examples of fraud within the Trump Administration. Further, Ranking Member Sykes argued that the Administration was misusing the False Claims Act (FCA) to hide their attempts to punish researchers who don’t align ideologically with the Administration. On a similar note, House SST Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) agreed that the “fraud is coming from inside the house.”

Ms. Jenny was questioned by several Democratic members regarding her stance on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as grounds for DOJ cases against research institutions. On the other side of the aisle, several Republican members questioned Ms. Jenny about the quantity of funds her department has recovered through use of the FCA and what methods for seeking out fraud cases recovered the most funds.

Members of the Committee also raised concerns about research institutions’ use of foreign funds and how grant application fraud could put “meritorious” grant allocations in jeopardy. Ms. Springmann and Mr. Steinau both raised concerns that foreign funding was not being properly reported to the federal government, which they believe compromises the grant awarding process. They claimed that researchers who accept foreign funds are in less need of federal funding and argued that misreported foreign fund acceptance makes it more difficult for federal grants to be devoted to the best research.

Later, Representative George Whitesides (D-CA) questioned the witnesses on the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) recently proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (see COSSA’s coverage here). Rep. Whitesides claimed that the rule is being complied with presently, despite it not being approved yet. For example, he mentioned rumors that White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) officials are approving grants at NSF rather than scientists. Furthermore, Rep. Whitesides lamented the degradation of peer review processes, stating that “everyone who cares about science and what it brings to the world … should step up and fight back against the damage that is being done.”

During his line of questioning, Rep. Whitesides and Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) argued over the lack of federal grants awarded this year and the slow release of appropriated funds to federal agencies that fund scientific research. Chair McCormick claimed that the amount of grants awarded this fiscal year is comparable to other years.

A recording of the hearing can be found here. Stay tuned for COSSA’s continued coverage on federal research grants.

This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Caroline Seo.