Witnesses testified about a meningitis outbreak earlier in 2012 that had been linked to 32 deaths in 19 states, and stricken 440 others. The outbreak was traced to a Massachusetts-based pharmacy that manufactured contaminated injections. Members of the subcommittee criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for not doing enough to shut down the pharmacy. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said it was because her agency lacked the authority to do so.