Chronology of Committee Work

Exposure to Hazardous Air Pollution

A series of reports prepared by the Special Investigations Division were the first studies to analyze levels of hazardous air pollutants -- and the health risks they generate -- based on current monitoring data. The reports found that many people may be exposed to hazardous air pollutants at levels that are hundreds of times higher than the goals of the Clean Air Act. The report on exposure to hazardous air pollutants in Los Angeles, which the Special Investigations Division prepared for Rep. Waxman, is representative of these reports.

Fifty Caliber Rifles and Ammunition

The Special Investigations Division, in conjunction with the Office of Special Investigations of GAO, prepared a report for Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman on the availability of fifty caliber sniper rifles and the armor-piercing ammunition used with these weapons.

Committee Hearings on Dietary Supplements

Chairman Burton held several hearings on FDA’s regulation of dietary supplements. He used the hearings in part as an opportunity to criticize FDA for what he claimed was over-regulation of dietary supplement products. Rep. Waxman’s opening statements explained that while there are supplements such as certain minerals and vitamins that play an important role in promoting health, there are legitimate concerns about the efficacy as well as the safety of some of these products that need to be addressed.

Civilian Access to Military Armor Piercing Ammunition

At the request of Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman, the Special Investigations Division in conjunction with the Office of Special Investigations of GAO worked to reveal how the Department of Defense indirectly armed citizens with some of the most powerful and destructive ammunition available. Armor piercing ammunition for fifty caliber weapons can pierce armored vehicles and bulletproof glass when fired at a distance of over a mile. Until Congress acted in response to the investigation, military surplus fifty caliber armor piercing ammunition was readily available in the U.S. civilian market as a result of a little-known Department of Defense demilitarization program. As part of the investigation into fifty caliber sniper rifles, expert Marine snipers provided a demonstration of the power and accuracy of these weapons. The demonstration was recorded on video tape. Also as part of the investigation, undercover investigators from the Office of Special Investigations of GAO taped conversations with ammunition dealers who sell specialized armor-piercing ammunition for fifty caliber sniper weapons.

Suspect Organizations and Individuals Possessing Long-Range Fifty Caliber Sniper Weapons

At the request of Reps. Blagojevich and Waxman, the Special Investigations Division and the Office of Special Investigations of GAO investigated criminal organizations that use fifty caliber sniper weapons. This investigation found numerous instances in which these weapons were involved in serious crime, including the use of fifty caliber weapons by Branch Davidions at Waco, during multiple homicides at a shopping center in Colorado, and in a foiled assassination attempt against Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Committee Hearings on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Chairman Burton has held a number of hearings on complementary and alternative medicines. He has used these hearings as an opportunity to criticize the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health for what he says is a lack of commitment to making complementary and alternative medicines widely available. Rep. Waxman’s hearing statements explain that while these treatments should be available, all medicine, including complementary and alternative medicine, needs to be safe and effective. According to Rep. Waxman, the standards for judging safety and efficacy need to be the same, whatever the treatment.

Drug Companies Profit at the Expense of Older Americans

This report finds that seniors are forced to pay more than twice as much for drugs than drug companies’ favored U.S. customers, such as HMOs and the federal government.

Unreported Emissions by Oil Refineries

The Special Investigations Division prepared a report for Rep. Waxman that identified previously unreported pollution from oil refineries as a major source of smog-forming toxic air pollutants. Audits performed by EPA and analyzed in the report reveal that oil refineries emit vast quantities of unreported emissions from leaking valves. Unlike other pollution sources -- which can cost up to $20,000 per ton to control -- fixing the leaking valves does not require new technology or expensive retrofit equipment. In many instances, the pollution can be eliminated simply by tightening the valves with a wrench.

FDA Approval of Rezulin

A new diabetes medication has been linked to at least 33 deaths since it was approved in 1996. According to the Los Angeles Times, the government's top diabetes researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was a paid consultant to Rezulin's manufacturer, Warner-Lambert, while he oversaw the selection and use of the drug in a major government diabetes prevention study. Rep. Waxman wrote NIH Director Dr. Harold Varmus to resolve questions about the safety of Rezulin and the potential conflicts of interest.

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