Post-election Media Inquiries
This week’s Analysis and Commentary is entitled: “Presidential Transition Has Arrived at FDA: Some Q&A.”
Post-election Media Inquiries. The Alliance received many calls from reporters asking about FDA and the presidential transition. Many of the questions were about perceived threats to the Agency’s global reputation for sound science-based decision-making.
In response to these inquiries, the Alliance issued the following statement:
“FDA’s greatest strength and value to the American public is its unique expertise. The Agency’s highly specialized and highly trained workforce includes licensed physicians, nurses, pharmacists, biologists, toxicologists, chemists, engineers, attorneys, nutritionists, and staff from other health-related professions. This intellectual capital is necessary for the Agency to be the international gold standard for regulatory decisions that are based on sound science and law.
The Alliance will continue advocating for a strong FDA that has the staffing and resources necessary to carry out its important mission to protect and promote the individual and public health of Americans. We look forward to working with the new Administration and the incoming Congress to ensure FDA is the best regulatory authority in the world.”
Election-related Updates in the Coming Weeks. With Donald Trump winning a second term as President, we will begin to get announcements in the weeks ahead of who will be appointed to serve in the White House, and who will be nominated to serve in his cabinet. We will provide updates as we learn more about who will serve in roles related to FDA.
In the new Congress, Republicans will hold the Senate majority with at least 52 seats. As of now, three Senate seats flipped to Republican - Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia. With Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania uncalled, it is possible the Republican majority will be larger than it currently appears. However, many matters will still require 60 votes to pass. There will be a new Majority Leader given Senator McConnell is stepping down from the Republican leadership post. The leadership elections are scheduled for November 13.
Who will have the majority in the House remains to be seen. It is possible that there could be a Democratic majority, and it is also possible that the Republican majority could be larger than it currently is given how 25 races are yet to be called. House Republican leadership elections are also set for November 13.
Appropriations Outlook. Given a new president and changes in Congressional majorities, it is likely the pressure will grow to extend the Continuing Resolution beyond December 20 until most likely some date in March.
However, Politico Pro reports Republicans are expected to defer to President-elect Donald Trump regarding a fiscal 2025 spending deal. Whether he wants that addressed during the lame duck, or wait until next year as conservatives have pushed, remains to be seen.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK-4th) has recommended Trump choose to close out fiscal 2025 before he arrives back at the White House to avoid the threat of a government shutdown while trying to stand up a cabinet, develop a fiscal 2026 budget request by the middle of February, and head off tax increases at the end of next year. What happens with both the final resolution of who has the majority in the House in the 119th Congress and who wins the Republican leadership elections will be a major factor in how - and when - to move forward.
Last Week’s Jim Jones Webinar Materials, Like All Webinars, Have Been Posted on Our Website. The Alliance Webinar Series continued last week with Jim Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods. This webinar was our 13th of the year. Find the recording of the event here, our summary here, the transcript here, Jones’ presentation slides here, and a link to FDA’s HFP priorities here.
Note all webinar materials from our Alliance Webinar Series can be found on our website here.