Lawmakers seek disciplinary action against FDA official

House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., Wednesday called for disciplinary action against Food and Drug Administration Assistant Commissioner Margaret Glavin, after it was revealed that Glavin had sent out an officewide e-mail criticizing the testimony of fellow FDA employees at an Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing last week.

In the e-mail, first reported in Wednesday's CongressDaily, Glavin said she was "deeply saddened" by comments made by the employees criticizing FDA food safety efforts, and that she considered them to be "erroneous." At issue was a plan to shut five FDA field laboratories and district offices.

In a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Dingell and House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak, D-Mich., declared: "Ms. Glavin's central message appears to be that dissent within the ranks will not be tolerated. ... As such, it is a clear violation of your policy to protect the right of FDA employees to express dissenting opinions to Congress."

Dingell and Stupak, who asked for an answer from von Eschenbach "within the week," continued: "At a minimum, we expect you to publicly disavow the ... e-mail and discipline Ms. Glavin, and evaluate her future in the position of directing FDA field staff." Stupak later said that Glavin should be removed.