Steven’s Final Thoughts and Where to Find Him in the Future
The unexpected chaos on Capitol Hill is an almost irresistible opportunity to write about the consequences for FDA. Nonetheless, I am going to stick with my original topic: some final thoughts on my years with the Alliance and a quick tour of what’s next for me.
Alliance Accomplishments. We have accomplished a lot:
Contributed to the increase of FDA’s annual BA appropriation from $1.6 billion to $3.5 billion over a 17-year period.
Demonstrated the viability of a “big tent” approach to unifying FDA stakeholders.
Elevated FDA’s status among appropriators to “special responsibility that we must always fund.”
Encouraged authorizers to consider budget and resource limitations when giving FDA additional responsibilities.
Upgraded policy/media understanding of the FDA’s mission, responsibilities, and program funding needs (more than 50 webinars with senior FDA officials since 2021!).
I want to emphasize the “we.” The Alliance started with me, Nancy Myers, Wayne Pines, the late Diane Dorman, and Ladd Wiley. It has grown by the support of countless groups and individuals over many years.
Alliance Challenges. FDA funding has increased but its mission and responsibilities have increased even faster. Some of the challenges:
Resisting downward budget pressures that lead to across-the-board cuts rather than agency-specific assessment.
Making the case for FDA “exceptionalism” when policymakers allocate resources.
Defending FDA’s need for a highly skilled, well-paid staff.
Advocating more effectively about the role of budget authority (BA), emphasizing:
medical product programs receive nearly $2 billion of BA money (user fees supplement those monies)
the $1.5 billion of BA money spent on human and animal food programs is not sufficient for the agency that oversees nearly 80% of the food supply.
What’s Next for Steven. Six months ago, I began talking with the board about my desire to pursue new opportunities that continue my service to FDA and the FDA stakeholder community. Metaphorically, I need to clear my (Alliance) plate so that I will have room to take on these new professional challenges.
One of my 2025 goals is to identify the next opportunity(ies) to make large and meaningful differences that benefit FDA and the stakeholder community.
I have some initial ideas about what that might be...and I welcome input from the Alliance family. Got an idea? Send me a note. Maybe we can work together to change the world. You can reach me at sgrossman@hpsgroup.com.
Another goal is to write more broadly about the FDA. There are more than 600 Friday Updates on our website, stretching back to 2009. Most include my Analysis and Commentary columns, covering some aspect of FDA budget and programs or related to Congress and the appropriations process.
Many a Thursday night, I started to write about an FDA topic, only to realize it was beyond the scope of the Alliance. It's time for me to be writing some of those other columns.
The venue will be my newly-revived website, FDA Matters. The content on the site is still sparse, but if you go to www.FDAmatters.com you can sign up to receive columns from me in the new year.
This transition means changes for the Alliance—new leaders, new ways to fulfill our mission, and new ideas about how to best support the FDA. I embrace the need for fresh thinking and urge you to do the same.
The DMV will still be my home and the FDA stakeholder community will still be where I belong. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can be of service.
Steven
sgrossman@hpsgroup.com
Editorial Note:
The Analysis and Commentary section is written by Steven Grossman, Executive Director of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA.