Advocacy at a Glance

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.

• Quiet Week in DC; Planning for September Will Start Up Next Week. This is the middle week of the 5-week Congressional recess. It was quiet in DC. By the end of next week, there will be more visible signs — mostly discussion and planning — aimed at allowing Congress to work quickly on its return on September 8.  The main item that Congress must deal with is the Continuing Resolution, allowing the federal government to continue working when the new fiscal year starts on October 1. This week’s Analysis and Commentary describes the conventional wisdom as to how September will play out, then looks at some possibilities that might undercut this.

• Commissioner Makes Strategic Speaking Plans. With Congress closely looking at FDA’s role in life science innovation, Commissioner Hamburg is strategically lining up speaking opportunities in the home states of lawmakers who are key to the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee’s 21st Century Cures initiative. Commissioner Hamburg is scheduled to go to Pennsylvania on August 29 (along with NIH Director Francis Collins) to have a discussion in Lancaster with E&C Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R, PA).  Also, MichBIO, which represents the biotech industry in the home state of E&C Chairman Fred Upton (R, MI) just announced that the Commissioner will speak at its annual conference which runs from September 30 to October 1.