Ag/FDA Appropriations Bill Does Not Move in the House – September Action Expected
This week’s Analysis and Commentary describes the state of the FY 24 appropriations process, its unpredictable pathway, and implications for FDA.
Ag/FDA Appropriations Bill Does Not Move in the House – September Action Expected. Speaker McCarthy hoped the full House would act on the Ag/FDA funding before leaving DC for August recess. Instead, HR 4368, the FY 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill is likely the next to be considered when the House returns after Labor Day.
The House Rules Committee met on Wednesday to set the conditions for floor consideration of HR 4368. They were not successful. Various reports suggest that there were disagreements among Republican Members regarding further spending cuts, SNAP work requirements, and proposed restrictions on prescribing mifepristone. These need to be resolved before a rule can be cleared. With the House in recess until after Labor Day, the earliest this bill could reach the House floor is September 12.
As discussed in this week’s Analysis and Commentary (here), there is no obvious compromise on those three issues. So immediate consideration of the Ag/FDA funding bill in September is far from guaranteed.
More Amendments Proposed to the House Ag/FDA bill. Since our last Friday Update (here), the number of proposed amendments to HR 4368 has increased, bringing the total to 189. Some additional amendments impacting FDA were filed, bringing that total to 32. Other than mifepristone, none of the FDA amendments were discussed before the Rules Committee. A full list of proposed FDA amendments can be found here. Which of these may be made in order is yet to be determined.
No Senate Schedule for Consideration of Ag/FDA Funding. On June 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved S. 2131, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The Senate Majority Leader has not announced a schedule for Floor consideration of any FY 24 appropriations bills.
Since the Senate has very few days in session in September and a crowded calendar, it is possible that they will pass a Continuing Resolution and push the funding bills back for later consideration. Based on comments by the Appropriations Chair (Senator Murray) and Ranking Member (Senator Collins) that would not be their preference.
Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 4368 Says FDA Left “Underprepared.” The White House and OMB have issued a Statement of Administration Policy that strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 4368. The President would veto the pending House bill were to come to his desk unamended. The Statement also says “funding reductions contained in the bill would leave the FDA underprepared to address ongoing and urgent public health challenges in FY 2024.” See the Executive Office OMB statement here.
Upcoming Webinar: FDA Chief Scientist Dr. Namandjé Bumpus. August 2nd from 11am-12pm. Please register here!
Why should you register to hear Dr. Bumpus? The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is a hub for scientific programs that support the Centers and the overall FDA mission, including regulatory science, the National Center for Toxicological Research, technology transfer, FDA's Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi), and advisory committee management. The Office of Cosmetics and Colors will be moved into OCS in the near future.
Dr. Bumpus’ joined the FDA a year ago, appointed by Commissioner Califf to take on the challenges of leading FDA’s scientific efforts. Before joining the FDA, Dr. Bumpus had a distinguished academic career at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a researcher, her focus has been on drug metabolism, pharmacogenetics, bioanalytical chemistry, and infectious disease pharmacology.
Other Upcoming Webinars:
FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. August 16 from 1 to 2 p.m. Please register here!
FDA Chief Ombudsman Ms. Laurie Lenkel. August 30 from 2 to 3 p.m. Please register here!
Did You Know: You can find FDA budget requests and Congressional appropriations documents on our website. This includes final explanatory statements, Senate bills and reports, and House bills and reports since 2020.