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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Contracting out Our National Identity

Yesterday, Reg•Watch blogged about a conflict-of-interest controversy at the National Institutes of Health. A scientific consulting firm which prepares the Report on Carcinogens has a client list including, in addition to NIH, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline.

These kinds of stories are becoming more and more prevalent. OMB Watch has reported on the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act, part of which aims to reduce conflicts of interest.

Legislation improving contracting practices is laudable, but America should also be discussing how much government contracting we are willing to tolerate, responsible or not. The Report on Carcinogens is a nationally renowned study which serves as a jumping off point for cancer research. Is it really appropriate for private enterprise to be handling this kind of research?

The contractor, the Constella Group, claims to have in place its own ethical safeguards, and those safeguards are probably fine and dandy. But when it comes to something as important as the Report on Carcinogens, the federal government has an obligation to ensure the utmost impartiality and integrity.

Scientists, doctors and researchers come from across the globe to America to engage on some of the world's most respected projects. Isn't there a danger we will jeopardize our reputation and integrity by shifting such work to private firms? Is it possible we are contracting out our national identity as a global leader in research and innovation? It will only be when we engage in this kind of a national dialogue that we will be able to set a proper course for our federal government to follow.

Click here for contractor data on the Constella Group [FedSpending.org]