Sequester May Follow April 28 Expiration of FY 17 CR
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.
Sequester May Follow April 28 Expiration of FY 17 CR. Several times each year, OMB informs the President and Congress as to the possibility of sequestration of current-year appropriated funds based on the 10-year budget caps enacted in 2011. On January 10, OMB released its latest interim evaluation of the potential for sequestration in FY 17. Its conclusion: if current funding levels for non-defense discretionary spending are maintained for the remainder of the fiscal year, then the budget limit is exceeded by $1.4 billion. This could result in a sequestration of 0.3 percent on all non-exempt, non-defense programs. This would include FDA.Sequestration is not the only budgetary uncertainty facing FDA. This week’s Analysis and Commentary takes a look at the situation.
HHS Secretary Burwell: Robust Funding for FDA Needed. In her cabinet exit memo, outgoing HHS Secretary Burwell urged the next Administration to increase FDA funding. In her rationale, she points to the need to improve regulatory science and states that “a robust FDA will help improve competition in the marketplace, especially the pharmaceutical marketplace where health care consumers want access to safe and affordable options.” Elsewhere in her exit memo, she points to accomplishments in food safety and advocates for empowerment of families with information about the foods and beverages they consume.
FDA Is #1 on Top Ten Medical Research Issues for 2017. Margaret Anderson, President of FasterCures and former Alliance Board Member had an opinion piece published in Huffington Post that details her list of the top ten medical research issues and trends for 2017. We are pleased that her number 1 issue was FDA’s path forward in the new year and the need for continued support of the agency.
Administrative Item – Dues Payments. In December, we sent a 2017 dues invoice to the primary contact of each Alliance member. Please let us know if you did not receive one. To the extent you can put it into processing as early as possible, we greatly appreciate it.