Quarterly Alliance Member Meeting 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.
Quarterly Alliance Member Meeting. We were fortunate to have as our guest speakers Walter Harris, Chief Operating Officer of the FDA, and Jay Tyler, Chief Financial Officer of the FDA. They reviewed both administrative initiatives and the FY 13/14 budget situation at FDA. Click here to see a copy of their presentation.
Freshman and Sophomore Hill Meetings. For 2 days this week, 40 Alliance members visited 45 offices of Members of Congress who were first elected in 2010 or 2012. We were pleased with the interest in the FDA shown by junior House members. Most knew of the FDA and had positive views ... although a large number wanted to know more about the agency. There was widespread support for appropriations built on funding national priorities first, rather than having across-the-board sequestration cuts.
Meetings with FDA leaders. In the next weeks we will begin our effort to meet with FDA policy leaders. Our hope is to meet with Center Directors and other senior managers – if you have an interest in meeting with a particular individuals, let us know, and we would be please to prioritize the request and include Alliance members with interest in the meetings.
Why was the FAA relieved of the sequester and FDA wasn’t? Short answer – FAA wasn’t relieved of the sequester. Before Congress left town last Friday, it passed legislation “to restore funding for air traffic controllers” and end the FAA furloughs that were creating logjams at a number of major airline hubs. However, contrary to common understanding, no funds were added to the FAA’s FY 13 budget. Instead, the final legislation took money available to FAA for infrastructure improvements (airport improvement programs, etc.) and moved it to pay for current operational needs.
Will the sequester remain in effect at FDA in FY14? Read this week's Analysis and Commentary, in which we discuss the impact of the Budget Control Act on the FDA in FY14.