House Republicans Investigate NIH Spending on Public Relations

The NIH is facing heat from House Republicans for spending nearly $1 billion over the past five years on public relations contracts.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced Tuesday that it’s opening a new investigation into the National Institutes of Health’s spending on public information and communication services (PICS). The agency doubled the potential value of these contracts in 2021 to respond to the pandemic. Total potential spending amounts to about $1 billion that’s spread out over 10 firms, including $300 million in public service announcements and advertising as part of a Covid-19 public health campaign.

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