The public, and FDA itself, would benefit from smart, focused congressional oversight over the agency. Unfortunately, House Republicans have gotten off to a bad start, leveling unsubstantiated allegations against FDA and exploiting a controversial regulatory decision to advance a political agenda.

As chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is the most important voice in Congress when it comes to FDA. That's why his first comments on the agency's decision to remove the first-line metastatic breast cancer indication from Avastin bevacizumab are especially disappointing.