No Taking Sides Here at the Alliance!

For political junkies (you know who you are), Congressional politics have now given way to convention politics. We are less than 10 days away from having 24/7 presidential campaign politics. As things seem to be shaping up, even the political junkies might find themselves overwhelmed soon.The political world is, of course, the one we live in ... even when there is no impending election. There are politics in how much money is spent on defense vs. non-defense programs. There are politics in how large a budget deficit will be allowed in any given fiscal year. There are politics involved in how much the President requests for FDA funding. There are politics in how much the House and Senate allocate for FDA. And so on.Notably, this week, the Republican Platform contains a serious critique of FDA.As a non-partisan organization, which has champions on both sides of the aisle (Democrat and Republican), the Alliance has always been careful not to engage in partisan politics – and will continue to not engage in such a manner.However, as elections become the primetime focus over the next months; it reminds us of the important mission the Alliance has not just on “advocacy,” but also on “education.” In other words, the Alliance has an important opportunity to further develop facts and messaging on the very complex public health mission of the FDA and its important work.At the Alliance over the next few months, we’ll leave the politics to the pundits and experts – goodness knows there are plenty of them! Our focus is going to be building and delivering facts about the important work of FDA, and hope you join with us in broadening our educational effort.Note: This week’s Analysis and Commentary was written by Steven Grossman, the deputy executive director of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA.