Down-Ballot Congressional Races: Another Post-Election Unknown
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.
Down-Ballot Congressional Races: Another Post-Election Unknown. Although most of the attention is focused on the Presidential campaign, there are plenty of down-ballot races that will affect the functioning of the Congress next year, and ultimately FDA. Last week’s Analysis and Commentary focused on Presidential transition and its impact on FDA. This week’s Analysis and Commentary looks at potential scenarios regarding leadership on the Appropriations Committees.
Alliance Annual Member Meeting/2016 Election Re-Cap is Tuesday, November 15 at 1 p.m. This year, we will be repeating our very successful post-election analysis by the bipartisan political leadership team at Akin Gump. Former Senator Kay Hagan (D, NC), Former Congressman Vic Fazio (D, CA), former Congressman Tom Loeffler (R, TX), and longtime Republican insider Jamie Tucker will provide their perspective on the election result. This one always fills the room to capacity, so please let Lynnette Bechtel know if you will be joining.
Alliance Meetings with FDA Planned for November. We have a meeting at White Oak planned with Dr. Rachel Sherman, Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, on November 15 in the morning. We also have a meeting scheduled with Dr. Peter Marks, new Director of the CBER, in the morning on November 16. Again, please let Lynnette know if you are interested in joining either meeting.
Is Ag/FDA Appropriations Likely to Pass in Lame Duck? Bloomberg Congressional News has rated the 11 remaining appropriations bills in terms of the likelihood that they can be passed in the Lame Duck session. The analysis catalogues the political and policy disagreements that are slowing consideration of each bill. Based on their analysis, Bloomberg rates the Ag/FDA appropriations bill and the Legislative Branch appropriations bill as the two least controversial to be considered in Lame Duck, whether as part of an omnibus, minibus, or as stand-alone bills.