Two GOP congressmen are asking the National Institutes of Health a long list of questions about its ongoing contract with Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber, suggesting it might be better off ending his contract.
Reps. Joe Pitts and Andy Harris wrote to NIH director Francis Collins Wednesday charging that Gruber’s untoward comments have called into question Gruber’s trustworthiness and the NIH’s choices.
“Recent developments related to Dr. Gruber raise questions about his objectivity and judgment, and thus the utility of his research,” the congressmen wrote. “Further, the award of this grant causes majors concerns regarding NIH’s funding priorities.”
Gruber has received $1.5 million from NIH’s National Institute on Aging and is set to earn over $2 million, according to the letter. The NIH’s website also reports that Gruber has received $2,049,937 for his research between 2008 and 2014.
Gruber’s ongoing research is focused on “Dynamics of Plan Choice and Prescription Drug Utilization in Medicare Part D.”
“If NIH were to continue funding Dr. Gruber’s grant, would you recommend that Congress and others utilize Dr. Gruber’s study given his deplorable views on the intelligence of Americans?” the congressmen asked. “If you do recommend utilizing it, how would you justify that decision, especially to seniors who rely on Medicare Part D?”
Apart from lambasting the Americans voters’ “stupidity,” Gruber explained that Obamacare’s authors intentionally “mislabeled” parts of Obamacare in a “basic exploitation” of the American public.
The congressmen asked about the “process for rescinding grant funding” and questioned whether, “given the significant issues regarding Dr. Gruber’s judgment and the effect it will have on the study and its findings,” the NIH is considering that in Gruber’s case.
They also noted that Gruber’s funding could have gone towards other types of research that could benefit the American people, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia or cancer. Collins, of course, blamed cuts in research funding for NIH’s failure to create a Ebola vaccine earlier this year.
He’s also still part of a $450,000 contract from the state of Vermont to help design the funding for the state’s effort to create a single-payer health care system and remains on the board of the Massachusetts Obamacare exchange. Several top Vermont state Republicans have called for his contract to be ended.
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