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.

• Speaker Ryan Changes Floor Rules to Expedite Appropriations Bills. As part of his promise to run a more inclusive House, Speaker Paul Ryan (R, WI) has been allowing appropriations bills to be considered with an open rule that encourages Members to offer amendments. This has boomeranged -- leading to floor votes on sensitive election “soundbite” issues that are more political than substantive. The Speaker has now reversed himself and directed amendments to be first vetted by the House Rules Committee. How this will work out is unknown, but the Chairman of the Rules Committee has committed to being fair about considering substantive amendments.

• CRS Produces Exhaustive Analysis of Innovations/Cures. The Congressional Research Service has produced an analysis of every provision in the Senate’s 19 Innovation bills and compared them to comparable Cures provisions. The document is here.

• Dr. Ostroff’s Views on the Future of Food and Veterinary Medicine. Food Safety News published a far-ranging Q&A with new deputy commissioner for food and veterinary medicine Stephen Ostroff. Among other issues, he addresses strengthening the scientific base at FDA, the continuing need for public input even though the seven FSMA regulations have been published, and the current foodborne illness outbreaks.

• Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Nets Big NIH Gain; Other PHS Agencies Fare Poorly. The entirety of the Public Health Service -- other than the FDA and the Indian Health Service -- are funded through the massive Labor-HHS appropriations bill. This week, the Senate subcommittee marked up the bill and gave the NIH a remarkable $2 billion increase (6%) over its $32 billion base. As Research!America has noted, two other key PHS agencies -- the Centers for Disease Control and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality -- are slated for cuts. While these numbers may change as the House and Senate continue the process, it is an opening glimpse into the state of public health funding. This week’s Analysis and Commentary explores the implication for both public health and the FDA.