Continuing Resolution Pulled from House Floor Schedule - May be Considered Next Week

This week’s Analysis and Commentary is entitled: “The Pentagon is FDA’s Ally, Really!”
 

Register for our Upcoming Webinar with FDA Commissioner Dr. Califf.  The 2024 Alliance Webinar Series continues with the return of FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.
 

September 27th at 11 am EST                          Register here

Continuing Resolution Pulled from House Floor Schedule - May be Considered Next Week. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday pulled HR 9494, the Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the federal government through March 28, 2025, from the House floor schedule.  It was expected that nearly all Republicans would have to vote for the CR in order to secure its passage, and there were reportedly at least twelve Republicans prepared to oppose the bill.   No Democrats were expected to support the measure, both because of the duration of the CR into next year and the inclusion of the SAVE Act.

The Speaker has said they will delay the vote until next week while working to reduce Republican opposition and to “build consensus”. The House situation is explored from a different perspective in this week’s Analysis and Commentary.

Senate Appropriators May Consider a Continuing Resolution Through December 13.  According to Roll Call, Senate appropriators are working on a bill that would run through December 13.  Appropriations subcommittee staff have sent the “anomalies” to full committee staff, while authorizing committees have until Wednesday to provide what authorization extensions they would like to be attached.  

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said “I think largely, particularly a lot of our defense hawks think it'd be a big mistake to have a CR that extends well into next year and leave the military with a lot of uncertainty.” The role of the Pentagon is explored in this week’s Analysis and Commentary.

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro Calls for Four-Corners Negotiation to Avoid a Government Shutdown.  House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLAuro (D-CT) in a statement said “For the good of the American people, Congress must move on from House Republicans’ partisan continuing resolution proposals and begin negotiating a funding bill that can earn the support of both Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate.  It is past time for Chairman Tom Cole, Chair Patty Murray, Vice Chair Susan Collins, and I to begin good-faith negotiations on a continuing resolution that will keep government programs and services Americans depend on functioning while we complete our work on full-year funding bills before the end of the 118th Congress.”  

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) in an interview said “I think, one way or the other, we’re in the business of at least having a December deadline.”

FDA to Officially Launch the Unified Human Foods Program on October 1. On Tuesday, September 10 in a hearing before the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Jim Jones, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, announced that FDA will officially launch the Unified Human Foods Program on October 1.  

In his statement before the subcommittee, Deputy Commissioner Jones said: “The new HFP is a major restructuring of our form to improve our function. Consistent with the recommendations FDA has received, the new program will improve communication throughout the Agency, streamline leadership decision making, and implement the processes and structures that support us in taking swift action. Importantly, our new organization is intentionally designed to centralize leadership and expertise and support a more consistent and systematic risk management approach focused on microbiological food safety, food chemical safety, and nutrition. Our work in the new HFP will advance our top strategic priorities of preventing foodborne illness; ensuring exposure to chemicals in foods is safe; and decreasing diet-related chronic disease through improved nutrition.”

Opening statements, the subcommittee’s memo about the hearing, and a link to the video of the hearing can be found here.