Booker Urges HHS to Investigate Grant Renewal to Primate Research Center with History of Serious Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to investigate the National Institutes of Health Office of Director’s oversight and approval of the base operational funding grant, called the P51, to the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) at the University of Washington.

The renewal of the P51 base grant comes after The Arizona Republic and other media outlets exposed WaNPRC’s failure to maintain biosecurity, repeated animal welfare violations, financial issues with taxpayer funds, and failure to comply with both federal and state laws.

“Despite all of these issues, many of which have direct consequences for public health and scientific integrity, NIH has decided to invest significant additional taxpayer funds in the WaNPRC,” wrote Senator Booker in the letter to Secretary of HHS Xavier Becerra. “An investigation into the oversight and approval process would shed much-needed light on why this deeply troubled facility continues to receive federal funding.”

In addition to urging for an investigation, Senator Booker requested HHS to respond to a series of questions relating to NIH’s oversight and approval process of this grant.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

The Arizona Republic series of articles can be found here.