Advocacy at a Glance

FY 20 Budget Release Dates Announced.  The current expectation is that the President will release his FY 20 Budget Request in two parts. Topline numbers are expected the week of March 11 and more detailed numbers are expected the week of March 18. In both of the last two fiscal years, the President has requested substantial increases for FDA, so we are optimistic. After the budget release, the Alliance will be able to be specific about its “ask” for FY 20.Hill Request Forms Out Shortly. Be Ready.  Members of the appropriations committees typically solicit input from other Members and from stakeholders about programs that need better funding. Most, but not all, offices have specific forms that they want filled out, usually by mid-March. We suspect many offices will change their due dates to accommodate late release of the budget, but there are a few that will insist on their original dates. Next week’s Friday Update will contain a list of the due dates for many House and Senate offices, along with a link to their request form. We would like to see many Alliance members responding to this opportunity to advance FDA’s funding needs.More Qs and As in Analysis and Commentary. As promised in last week’s Update, one question describes our February 13 Hill meetings. Other questions cover: the split in FY 19 between BA funding and user fees; the status of Cures funding; and why there are several places to find report language to which the agency will be expected to respond.Commissioner Gottlieb’s House Testimony Now February 27 at 2:00 p.m.  Dr. Gottlieb was scheduled to testify before the House Ag/FDA subcommittee earlier in the month on “Status of Operations.” The hearing has been rescheduled for February 27, at 2:00 p.m. and will be held in 2362-A Rayburn House Office Building. A livestream of the event can be found here.Annual Alliance Lobby Day -- Mark Your Calendars -- March 19. On Tuesday, March 19, the Alliance will be on Capitol Hill for our Annual Lobby Day. On Lobby Day, we strive for the largest number of participants and meetings, so we can educate Congress about the mission of FDA and the importance of a well-funded agency. RSVP if you are interested in attending. More details are also included in this week's Analysis and Commentary.Alliance to Host FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy on April 10.  Alliance members and media are invited to our upcoming meeting with Anna Abram, Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation and Analysis at FDA. The event is on Wednesday, April 10 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and will be at a convenient downtown DC location. Her remarks should provide valuable insight into FDA’s priorities for the rest of FY 19 and for FY 20. To RSVP, click here.