White House whitewash

Environmentalists, scientists and public-health officials were up in arms last week after the Bush administration reportedly censored the testimony of a high-ranking federal health expert.

According to ABC News, the White House Office of Management and Budget significantly pared down the written testimony of Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The editing reportedly deleted references that called climate change a public-health concern.

White House press secretary Dana Perino responded that the edits were made because the science behind the testimony was different than what was reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But her claim has been countered by many organizations, including the National Resources Defense Council.