Timetable for Release of the President’s FY 15 Budget Request 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.
Timetable for Release of the President’s FY 15 Budget Request. As previously reported, the January passage of the FY 14 omnibus appropriations bill meant that OMB would need more time to submit the President’s FY 15 Budget Request. The schedule now is for the budget overview to be released on March 4 and the detailed budget to be released on March 11.
Congress Extends Debt Limit. The remaining budget impasse from FY 14 negotiations was the need to raise the debt ceiling before the end of February 2014. The House and Senate completed action this week to raise the debt ceiling through March 15, 2015. This paves the way for Congress to focus its full attention on FY 15 appropriations and long-term debt reduction.
Hard Work Still Ahead on Deficit Reduction. New Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections of the national debt are being seen as good news/bad news. The annual budget deficit will drop to $478 billion in FY 14, the lowest level in more than 5 years. That’s the good news. However, the deficit will start rising again in a few years and exceed $1 trillion by 2024. That’s the bad news. This week’s Analysis and Commentary looks at the CBO numbers and their consequences for FDA.
FDA Points the Way on Funding Needs. In a break with the past, FDA seems more willing to talk about its funding needs. Two weeks ago, at the Alliance quarterly member meeting, Howard Sklamberg, Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, talked about the need for greater funding for inspections and compliance activities. At the same meeting, Sally Howard, Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Legislation, made a particular point about the need for greater funding of FDA’s new authority to regulate drug compounding. Meantime, Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food and Veterinary Medicine, told the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the need for greater funding to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act.
Webinar on FDA’s New Benefit-Risk Framework and Patient-Focused Drug Development. Alliance member Faster Cures will be running a free webinar on the FDA’s progress on these important new initiatives. Andrea Tan and Pujita Vaidya of the Office of Strategic Programs in CDER will be participating. The event is on February 19 at 1 p.m. To register please click here.