House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer has requested documents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding alcohol consumption guidelines during the Biden Administration. Comer seeks information on three studies and advisories released, which he claims were outside congressionally mandated processes and gave conflicting guidance.
A letter from Chairman Comer outlines concerns about the formation of a study commissioned by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) during the Biden Administration. He states, “The ICCPUD study is duplicative of a study conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) at the direction of Congress.” Comer also raises issues of scientific integrity and conflict of interest.
Comer highlighted previous attempts to acquire documents from HHS and USDA, with the Biden Administration providing only publicly available information and evading proper oversight. The Committee eventually subpoenaed the necessary documents, but these were never fully supplied before the end of the Biden Administration.
In his closing statement, Chairman Comer emphasizes the importance of transparency and scientific backing for the finalization of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines, stating, “As HHS works alongside USDA to finalize the 2025 Dietary Guidelines, it is imperative that Congress and the American people have the utmost confidence in the scientific support determining the Dietary Guidelines.”
