Pledge Allegiance to 'One HHS'

Abstract

Supervisors at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are being asked to sign a pledge to back Bush Administration management moves that many believe are harming the institutes. The oath is an early April “addendum” to a performance contract that about 2700 higher-level NIH staff are being asked to sign by their parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “I hereby commit to achieve” 15 “One HHS” objectives, the statement says. Five “program objectives,” such as preventive health, are not controversial, sources say. But several “management objectives” have caused widespread angst (Science, 9 May, p. 877). They include “competitive sourcing” (opening jobs to outside contractors), “administrative efficiencies” (slashing administrative staff), and “HHS-wide procurements” (which scientists say could be disastrous for intramural research).