|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
U.S. Senator Accuses Administration of Failing to Conduct Laboratory Security Checks
U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) has charged the Bush administration with failing to conduct required security reviews on U.S. laboratories and scientists that work with dangerous biological pathogens, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Nov. 10). In a letter sent last week to three Cabinet secretaries, Lieberman said that “it appears that the administration has not acted forcefully and expeditiously” to meet the Nov. 12 deadline — set by the 2002 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act — to conduct the background and security checks. According to Lieberman, as of last week U.S agencies had not yet certified any laboratories or researchers as being in full compliance with the law and that 5,400 out of 9,000 security reviews of scientists had been conducted, the Post reported. He also wrote in his letter that the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments had not assigned adequate staff to conduct the security checks. A Bush administration official attributed the delays to the number of agencies involved, according to the Post (John Mintz, Washington Post, Nov. 12).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
