In March, OMB Watch reported on a controversial industry-backed scientific consultant managing a National Institutes of Health (NIH) office. (The relationship has since been terminated.) Now, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) inspector general's office is investigating over 100 hundred potential conflict of interest cases at NIH. The IG's office is working with the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the issue. In the 109th Congress, that committee uncovered a number of scientists in violation of ethics rules due to their ties to the pharmaceutical industry. In a rather droll comment, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the committee's top Republican, said, "The NIH specializes in great science, not detective work, and it shows." Read the committee press release here.

The Nonprofit Times highlighted the OMB Watch survey on grassroots lobbying disclosure. The article discusses the survey results and responses in some detail. For example, many who took the survey commented that disclosure would help distinguish "between genuine grassroots activism, which tends to be money-poor but people-rich, and 'Astroturf' lobbying, which tends to be money-rich."

As Reg•Watch blogged earlier, the Government Accountability Project released a report detailing Bush administration political interference in climate science. The report includes evidence of manipulation by OMB. For example, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is supposed to be a clearinghouse for accurate and up-to-date climate science produced by agencies. Unfortunately for the American people, OMB is one of the overseers of CCSP. According to the GAP report, OMB and other political offices sit on a panel that must approve CCSP communications. The panel has approved startlingly little information. It is worth noting that since 2004, CCSP has cautiously produced and posted on its website only five fact sheets and two research summaries, all ranging from two to four pages in length. It issued eight press releases — three of which were administrative announcements — and held one workshop on November 14-16, 2005. Furthermore, with the exception of three press releases, CCSP has not produced any new material as of January 2006. That's not much product from a staff of 14. (Current staff-level according to CCSP website).

OMB Watch has learned a Senate panel may formally reconsider the long dormant nomination of Susan Dudley to become the White House's regulatory czar. Dudley — whose 2006 nomination stalled in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) — could reappear before that committee if Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) pushes forward. In 2006, President Bush nominated Dudley to be administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within OMB. Dudley blindly opposes any form of government regulation regardless of its potential benefit to society, thus making her an illogical choice to head the office which reviews the rules agencies develop. Because of this, public interest groups opposed Dudley's nomination, and a Republican-controlled HSGAC did not think it a high enough priority to address last fall. Never to be discouraged by the opinion of the people he governs, Bush renominated Dudley in January. A day later, Bush named Dudley a senior advisor in OIRA. If HSGAC decides to reexamine Dudley's record, we certainly hope they will realize she is not fit for the position and reject her nomination. If not, we expect Bush to appoint her during a Congressional recess this year. Stay tuned to Reg•Watch for more. For the full story on Dudley, check out Public Citizen and OMB Watch's report The Cost Is Too High.