Not sure I believe this, but that I even think it is possible is disturbing
And the corollary to this is that the massive, out of control, Potemkin bureaucracy makes it possible.
We are way past "government of the people, by the people, for the people...". Time to tear most of it down. Prune it to a nub, like a Rhody bush, to allow something decent to grow out of it.
Bkmk
As for buildings and people, the National Institutes of Health main campus is in suburban Bethesda, Maryland, with five other research centers around the country. The FDA's main campus is in White Oak, Montgomery County, Maryland, with other offices around the country.
All a forensic accountant would need to do is look at their budget for consultants and money allegedly spent on in-house work. The volume of paperwork comes from somewhere. It is either originated by those companies that benefit from the rules and regulations, like the thousands of pages of Obamacare, which appeared fully formed overnight. But if Congress asks for some particular regulations, someone had to write those. Any lab work performed would need to be billed to something. Internally, it would probably be a charge number. But externally, it’s a contracted work. We need an audit.