Threat from House FY 15 Budget Resolution Real and more

Advocacy at a Glance offers you the bullet point summary of current advocacy issues associated with the goals of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA.

• Threat from House FY 15 Budget Resolution Real -- Concentrated in FY 2016 and Thereafter. Last week’s analysis of the proposed House budget resolution proved correct: total spending and the defense/non-defense ceilings would be preserved in FY 15 (good), but out-year spending on non-defense discretionary spending would be sharply curtailed and would certainly squeeze every non-defense program, including priority ones such as FDA (bad). Our friends at the Coalition for Health Funding summarized the situation as follows: “Ryan budget would cut domestic spending by $791 billion to 30% below current levels in 2024. Lowest level as share of GDP EVER.” While the Senate is not expected to consider an FY 15 budget resolution -- rendering the House effort moot -- it is disheartening to see continued efforts to balance the budget on the backs of non-defense programs. Rather, Congress needs to be  taking  a fairer and more realistic approach  by putting its primary focus on mandatory and entitlement programs and revenue.

• Administration Cautiously Retreats on Food Safety User Fees. As reflected in prior posts of Advocacy at a Glance, there are significant problems with the President’s FY 15 budget request for FDA and particularly its claim to represent an 8% increase over FY 14. As described in today’s Analysis and Commentary, this became a central theme at the April 3 Senate appropriations hearing. The headline, which we tweeted out, was: “FDA  Commissioner: Adequate/sustainable FSMA funding is a priority. If the monies come through appropriations, that’s fine.”