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.

• Congress Away Until September 5; HHS Always “In Session.” Earlier this month, HHS Secretary Tom Price reported on his “reimagine HHS” initiative (for background, see here). The effort was introduced in May, a high-level draft plan was presented to OMB in July, and implementation of some initiatives could start as early as September. The entire plan will be integrated into the HHS FY 19 proposed budget submission that will go to OMB in September. The HHS effort involves six strategic areas: restoring market forces; putting people at the center of HHS programs; leveraging the power of data; turning HHS into a more innovative and responsive organization; generating efficiencies through streamlined processes; and moving to a 21st Century workforce. While all of these elements have implications for FDA, the Secretary’s comment on the last one is particularly relevant:

  our recruiting processes can get in the way of attracting the talent we need, while our personnel systems too often don’t support and reward growth and excellence. We can’t wait to change that.

• This week’s Analysis and Commentary Explores FDA’s Growing Responsibilities and Why Its Workforce is Essential to Success

• Alliance Plans to Be on the Hill on September 19th; Please Join Us and Hold the Date on Your Calendar. Authorizers and appropriators have made FDA a priority, as reflected in the House and Senate Ag/FDA appropriations bills, as well as in FDARA. Challenges still remain (see the answer to question 2) and FDA’s responsibilities keep growing, so we need to thank Members of Congress and encourage support for FDA as the final touches are placed on FY 18 and as we prepare for  FY 19.  More details will be forthcoming.

• Likely to See Your Senators or Representatives Over Recess? If So, Talk About FDA’s Needs.Please make three points: FDA’s responsibilities are core functions of government. FDA-regulated industries are world leaders in discovery and innovation in large part because of the stability and oversight provided by FDA. FDA’s well-trained staff is indispensable to its success. For more detail on each of these points, read the answer to question 3.