Advocacy at a Glance

Topline: The President’s budget request for FDA was released this week, with the President proposing a $47 million increase for the agency. This is described further in this week's Advocacy at a Glance section (below) and in FAQs in this week's Analysis and Commentary.We apologize for the 1 week delay in posting the information below to this web site.President Proposes Small FY 21 Increase for FDA.  In FY 20, FDA received a budget authority (BA) appropriation for salaries and expenses of $3.159 billion. The President is proposing a $47 million increase (about 1.5%) for FY 21, which would bring the agency funding level to $3.206 billion. This is reflected in the Alliance’s more detailed chart. The Alliance’s position is described in this week’s Analysis and Commentary. The President’s proposal is summarized here. The 400+ page Congressional Justification (CJ) is here.Proposed Program Increases and Decreases in the President’s FY 21 Budget Request for FDA.  On pages 10-17 of the CJ for FDA, there is information on the Administration’s proposed programmatic increases and decreases in the agency’s funding. Specifically:

• Artificial Intelligence and Other Emerging Technologies (Food Safety and Medical Products) (+$10.2M)
• Strengthening Response Capabilities for Foodborne Outbreaks: (+$1.2 million)
• Cannabis and Cannabis Derivatives (+$5.0 million)
• Modernizing Influenza Vaccines (+$5.0 million)
• Transform Medical Device Safety, Cybersecurity, Review, and Innovation (+$18.0 million)
• Compounding (+$4.5 million)
• Reductions to Outreach, Training, and Organizational Excellence (-$19.6M)

FDA Budget Request in Context. Given the overall budget situation for the non-defense discretionary (NDD) portion of the federal budget, even  the small increase proposed for FDA reflects strong Administration support for the agency. Apart from VA, NASA, and Homeland Security, the President’s budget request proposes deep cuts in NDD programs and FDA was one of the few that saw even a small increase. In the larger picture, the President’s proposed NDD spending is $15 billion below the actual FY 20 spend. With specific regard to Ag/FDA appropriations, the President’s request would cut 8% from current FY 20 funding.Upcoming Alliance Events:

• MARCH 18: For All FDA Stakeholders. March 18 (Wednesday) is the Alliance’s Hill Day. Please mark your calendars. We will be setting up dozens of Hill meetings, so we can use participants all day, or just in the morning or the afternoon. You do not have to be an Alliance member to be part of our Hill Day.
• APRIL 1: For Food Safety Stakeholders. April 1 meeting at FDA with Frank Yiannis, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response. This will be an Alliance members-only meeting. This is the third of our FDA meetings this year.

Please let Reed know if you would like to participate in either of these events.March 13 Deadline for Member Requests to House Appropriations Agriculture/FDA Subcommittee. Members of Congress can provide the House Appropriations Agriculture/FDA Subcommittee with a request for funding of programs of particular interest to them or their state or district. The Subcommittee has asked House Members to submit these requests by March 13. Every House office will have its own deadline in advance of this, as they consider what requests to submit. It is vital to the FDA cause that the Appropriations Subcommittee receive multiple requests for increased FDA funding. While the Senate Subcommittee has not yet set its deadline, individual Senators are already setting their deadlines and should be contacted as well. If your organization would like to ask Members’ office to support FDA, please contact Roger. He can supply the deadlines of specific offices, as well as suggest appropriate language to support your request.Can We Help With Your Hill Day? Many of our Alliance members hold their own Hill days and we encourage you to include FDA’s increased funding needs among your “asks.” If you plan to do so, let us know the date and your needs (a one-pager, a paragraph, a chart, etc.) and we will be happy to support your efforts with regard to FDA funding. To follow-up on this, please contact Liz.