A congressional review of bonuses paid to employees at the Food and Drug Administration showed many went to the highest-paid staff rather than to field inspectors.

The chairman of the House committee that released the findings Thursday said some bonuses to medical doctors who review drugs are justified. But millions of dollars went to employees who perform no scientific function, according to Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.

For example, the agency’s chief of regulatory affairs got a retention bonus of $48,663, while the largest retention bonus to a field inspector was $2,500, said Dingell, who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

In all, bonuses exceeding $4,000 totaled $35 million last year, an increase of about 30 percent from the year before.

“More disgracefully is that these bonuses are not being paid to retain the field work force, inspectors, lab analysts and other dedicated FDA employees on the front lines who have their fingers in an increasingly leaky dike,” Dingell said.

The FDA said the bonuses help the agency keep talented employees rather than lose them to the private sector. Officials also said that the agency has safeguards in place to ensure equitable and fair compensation practices.

“The agency employs a very knowledgeable, experienced and highly educated staff and has to compete with the private sector to attract individuals of the highest caliber,” spokeswoman Heidi Rebello said.