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.

• Status of Appropriations. None of the twelve FY 17 appropriations  bills has become law. Before October 1, the start of FY 17, Congress will have to pass these bills or mandate level funding under a continuing resolution or adopt an omnibus bill that would likely be an amalgam of some committee-passed bills and other agencies that would be funded at FY 16 levels. A CR could last until December (requiring a lame-duck session) or until February or March of next year (leaving all the hard decisions for the next Congress). An omnibus would probably be full-year funding for agencies covered by appropriations bills and until December or March for the agencies covered by level funding.

• Ag/FDA Appropriations: Specific Issues. Politico has summarized where Ag/FDA fits into the CR vs. omnibus machinations:

  The ag approps bill faces stiff fiscal constraints and offers fertile political acreage for the thorniest policy debates.  Both the House and Senate agriculture appropriations bills would provide a roughly 2 percent cut from current spending. ... [Areas for] [p]olicy fights loom: Provisions on e-cigarettes, food stamps and chicken farmers are shaping up to be the most difficult ag-related negotiations on a potential omnibus. The House bill was amended to exempt e-cigarettes and premium cigars from FDA regulation; most committee Democrats opposed the proposal, calling it a sop to the tobacco industry. The Senate bill does not include that language.

• FDA Never Sleeps. This week’s Analysis and Commentary looks at the continuously evolving FDA mission and why the agency needs larger appropriated funding.

• No Friday Update Next Week; Next Edition is August 12. Friday Update will not publish on August 5. We hope you are having a great summer and we will be back with our next edition on August 12.