FDA Benefits If You Join the Alliance for a Stronger FDA

If you are reading this, you already appreciate FDA’s essential contribution to our nation’s public health and its extraordinarily broad impact on commerce.

However, government agencies are never guaranteed sufficient resources.  That’s why the Alliance for a Stronger FDA exists. We help FDA in two ways: advocate for increased budget authority appropriations for FDA and educate about FDA’s broad mission and growing responsibilities.

Our advocacy and educational efforts have been instrumental in the doubling of FDA’s annual BA funding from $1.6 billion to more than $3.3 billion. This has occurred during an extended period of anti-regulatory rhetoric and considerable tightening of federal domestic spending. While FDA’s BA funding has grown by more than 100%, in a comparable timeframe the EPA has grown only about 25%.

We talk to Congress, policymakers and the media about FDA’s vast jurisdiction that makes it responsible for more than 70% of the food supply and all drugs, medical, devices, biologics, diagnostics, vaccines, veterinary food/medicine, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. Altogether, the agency oversees products that represent 20% of all consumer spending ($2.8 trillion). Its work touches every American multiple times each day.

FDA’s mission continues to grow, and its vital activities have become more complex and require greater sophistication and expertise. Completing the job of making FDA into a modern 21st Century regulatory agency will require substantial new investments. The agency needs an increased budget, more scientific and technical staff, and better analytical tools that support science-based decision-making and keep up with innovation in both food and medical products.

FDA needs to attract and retain specialized personnel that are experts in increasingly complex fields such as artificial intelligence, genomics, diagnostics, digital technology, cybersecurity, block chain, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and whole genome sequencing. It is essential for FDA to have personnel capable of conducting FDA’s ongoing responsibilities while looking for innovative ways to solve food and drug regulatory problems.  

The Alliance exists to work with Congress, policymakers, and the media to assure that decisions about FDA funding levels are made with full knowledge of the needs and accomplishments of the agency. We have 150 stakeholder organizations that stand with us in delivering the FDA’s story. Our members are consumer and patient groups, research advocates, health professional societies, trade groups, companies, and individuals.

If you are not a member, please consider joining. We need you. The more members we have... the louder our voice… and the greater the impact on Congress, policymakers, and the media.
Every additional voice on behalf of the FDA matters. For more information, check out our website, www.strengthenfda.org, or contact me directly at sgrossman@strengthenfda.org.