GOPer blasts FDA's Lance Armstrong investigation at budget hearing

The House Republican in charge of agricultural appropriations on Friday slammed the Food and Drug Administration for spending "millions" investigating doping allegations against cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) demanded to know how much the agency was spending on the investigation, and what that had to do with its core mission of regulating medical industries and keeping the nation's food supply safe. The investigation is allegedly being led by Jeff Novitzky, the former IRS agent who led the charge against Major League Baseball players' steroid use.

"I just sense that this is blown out of proportion in terms of resources put into it," said Kingston, who went on to suggest that the investigation was "one man's tear" against the celebrity cyclist.

"I would like to know what priority that is in the food chain," Kingston told FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, "because what I'm very concerned about — and I hope that I'm proven wrong — is that ... it's a celebrity, and one great way to make a name for yourself in this town and in politics is to bring down a celebrity."

The FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations has authority to conduct investigations of alleged criminal activity related to FDA-regulated products.

But Kingston said "it appears that millions of dollars" and "lots of employees" are being diverted from other priorities, such as investigating tainted heparin, a blood-thinning drug, from China that resulted in the deaths of several dozen people in 2008.

Hamburg said the joint investigation with the Department of Justice was ongoing, and that she could not get into specifics. But she said she also had questions about how the FDA's investigative arm prioritizes its investigations.

"I appreciate your concerns," Hamburg told Kingston, "and have raised some similar concerns myself."

Kingston's remarks come as House Republicans are considering the FDA's request for a record $4.4 billion, a 33 percent increase over the agency's FY 2010 budget.

During the hearing, Kingston referenced a 2010 Government Accountability Office report that found that the investigations office "appears to operate more autonomously than other units within FDA’s regulatory office." The report, requested by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), indicated that the office's budget has increased by 73 percent since 1999, and its number of employees by 40 percent.